Source · Select Committees · National Security Strategy (Joint Committee)

2nd Report - Espionage cases and the Official Secrets Acts

National Security Strategy (Joint Committee) HC 1414 Published 3 December 2025
Report Status
Government responded
Conclusions & Recommendations
21 items (9 recs)
Government Response
AI assessment · 21 of 21 classified
Accepted 12
Accepted in Part 1
Acknowledged 4
Not Addressed 3
Rejected 1
Government response
2nd Special Report - Espionage cases and the Official Secrets Acts: Government and Crown Prosecution Service Responses · published 12 Feb 2026
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Recommendations & Conclusions

1 item
10 Conclusion Rejected

Some processes were excessively protracted, with extensive to and fro.

Conclusion
Some processes were excessively protracted, with extensive to and fro. From the outside some aspects look shambolic. The process for securing the DNSA’s second witness statement took nearly eight months, for example. The reason for this delay remains obscure to … Read more
Government Response Summary
The government agreed timely evidence acquisition is a priority but rejected the committee's conclusion of an eight-month delay in securing the DNSA's second witness statement. They provided a detailed timeline and explanation of the complex review process, arguing that work was ongoing throughout.
Cabinet Office
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