Source · Select Committees · National Security Strategy (Joint Committee)
Recommendation 7
7
Accepted
To help mitigate risks around the clustering of high value targets, the Government should encourage...
Recommendation
To help mitigate risks around the clustering of high value targets, the Government should encourage subsea cable providers to connect to landing stations, terrestrial routes and data centres outside high-concentration points. (Recommendation, Paragraph 49)
Government response summary AI-generated
The government agrees with the recommendation and will accelerate work with Lead Government Departments on technical impact assessments to help critical sectors prepare for subsea cable disruption, with oversight from the Cabinet Office’s ‘Undersea Infrastructure Security Oversight Board’.
Summary of the government's response below — read the verbatim text to verify.
Government Response
Accepted
HM Government · verbatim extract
Accepted
The Government agrees with this recommendation. We recognise the importance of ensuring subsea cable infrastructure is geographically diverse and acknowledge that, where practicable, reducing clustering around high-concentration points is beneficial. The Government continues to work closely with industry, The Crown Estate, and The Crown Estate Scotland, to ensure that there is space available for future subsea cable routes and landings in geographically diverse areas around the UK. We recognise that the number of suitable locations for cable landings is limited for technical reasons. However, our proactive planning is designed to support the long-term resilience of the UK’s subsea connectivity. We will continue to engage with industry stakeholders to promote diversification where possible, and to ensure that future developments take account of both operational needs and national security considerations.
Read the full response on Parliament ↗