Question to the Department for Exiting the European Union :

To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had, and with whom, about the inclusion of cyber security in the security treaty they hope to negotiate with the EU; to what extent stakeholders will be consulted during the process of negotiations on that treaty; and how such a treaty will relate to any international or bilateral cyber security agreements.

The exact future relationship with regard to cyber security remains subject to negotiations with our EU partners.

The UK is one of the world’s leading digital nations and a leader in the field of cyber security. We have accordingly taken a central role, both as an EU Member State and internationally, to push forwards the cyber agenda. To contend with a truly global threat such as this we need a truly global response - with not only the UK and EU, but industry, government, like-minded states and NATO all working together to strengthen our cyber security capabilities.

In the future partnership paper on, ‘Foreign Policy, Defence and Development’, published in September last year, we listed a number of specific areas for potential cooperation and collaboration with the EU, ranging from the exchange of information about cyber threats and incidents through participation in the Computer Security Incident Response Team (CSIRT) network and Co-operation Group to continuing to work to develop effective cyber security legislation and international standards.

The UK will also continue to work together with the EU to promote strategic frameworks for conflict prevention, cooperation and stability in cyberspace. These frameworks should consist of: the application of existing international law; the implementation of voluntary, non-binding norms of responsible state behaviour; and the development and implementation of practical cyber confidence building measures between states.