Select committee: Public Accounts Committee
Conclusion 18
24th Report - Government cyber resilience
Published 9 May 2025
Addressed to HM Treasury
Public Accounts Committee Government cyber resilience All items in this report Report on parliament.uk ↗ Inquiry on parliament.uk ↗
Conclusion (the committee's words)
We asked the Cabinet Office what the impact was when departments did not share information about their cyber incidents. The Cabinet Office agreed that sharing data is essential to learn lessons, understand vulnerabilities, share best practice and work out what has gone wrong. The Cabinet Office reassured us that if departments find any vulnerabilities that could affect other parts of government, it shares these immediately. The Cabinet Office accepted that departments could be cautious and concerned about reputational damage, but noted there may also be good reasons to not share data. The Cabinet Office told us it wants to increase transparency and that its role is to challenge departments on how much they share and help manage their concerns.38 When we asked the Cabinet Office what it was doing to promote a culture of learning from mistakes and near misses, it responded that this was one of its biggest cultural priorities.39
From: Public Accounts Committee, 24th Report - Government cyber resilience (HC 643), 9 May 2025
Government response
Latest Treasury Minutes progress report to the Committee of Public Accounts on the Twenty-fourth Report of Session 2024-26
The government responded to the whole report on 4 June 2026.
Treasury minutes: Government response to the Committee of Public Accounts on the Twenty-fourth report from Session 2024-26
Published 18 September 2025.
Summary written by Accountability Index from the government's response. It is not the government's own words.The government "agrees with the Committee's recommendation" in each of the six areas, setting target implementation dates between winter 2025 and autumn 2026.
- On the evolving threat, the government agrees, notes responsibility has moved to DSIT, and says DSIT will publish an implementation plan in winter 2025 and write to the Committee "in one year's time".
- On cyber skills, it "acknowledges the ongoing cyber skills gaps" and says that "Early next year" DSIT will set how many anticipated vacancies its central initiatives will address and how it will assist departments with the remaining gaps.
- On accountability and funding, DSIT will set expectations for departments to appoint a board member with cyber security and digital resilience expertise, and is "working with HMT on mechanisms for protecting budgets" for cyber and legacy remediation programmes.
- On arm's-length bodies and supply chains, it says departments remain "ultimately accountable for the risk" and that DSIT will "assure and enforce" that Accounting Officers are meeting this responsibility.