Select committee: Public Accounts Committee
Conclusion 35
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 if there were any countries that manage cyber security effectively that the UK should learn from. The Cabinet Office told us that most of the UK’s international partners were also trying to catch up with the 70 C&AG’s Report, paras 2.5, 2.20–2.21 71 C&AG’s Report, paras 16, 25; The Cabinet Office, Government Cyber Security Strategy: 2022–2030, January 2022 72 C&AG’s Report, para 2.22 73 Q 68 74 Q 67 75 Q 69 76 Q 71 77 Q 70 18 fast–moving threat.78 The UK could learn a lot from other international governments, including Canada and Australia, which have done more from the centre of government and have focused on transparency and assurance. The Cabinet Office told us that its counterparts in Australia regularly publish the resilience levels of government organisations and have found this improves accountability. The Canadian centre of government provides services and capabilities to the rest of government, which lets it understand and respond to risk more effectively. The Cabinet Office said it was learning from these approaches as it designs the UK Government’s new approach to cyber security.79 78 Q 75 79 Q 76 19
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.