Source · Select Committees · Business and Trade Committee
Recommendation 5
5
Acknowledged
Semiconductors play a hidden but highly significant role in many parts of the UK’s critical...
Recommendation
Semiconductors play a hidden but highly significant role in many parts of the UK’s critical national infrastructure. We request that the Government sets out which elements of the semiconductor supply chain constitute critical national infrastructure. (Paragraph 70) Role of Government
Government Response Summary
The Government recognises the significant role of semiconductors in critical national infrastructure and that ensuring security of supply is a priority; they are already considering risk across critical sectors and the National Semiconductor Strategy sets out plans to assess and action emergent supply chain threats.
Government Response
Acknowledged
HM Government
Acknowledged
The Government recognises the significant role that semiconductor components play across the UK’s critical national infrastructure. Ensuring the security of supply for these components remains a priority within the UK’s efforts to improve semiconductor resilience. We are already actively considering risk across the UK’s critical sectors, and the National Semiconductor Strategy sets out plans to assess and action emergent supply chain threats. The UK already has a strong regulatory framework through which to protect the supply chain security of our critical national infrastructure. As part of the Government’s National Cyber Security Strategy, the Network and Information Systems (NIS) Regulations 2018 provide legal measures to boost the overall level of physical resilience and supply chain security for network and information systems that are critical for the provision of digital services (online marketplaces, online search engines, cloud computing services) and essential services (transport, energy, water, health, and digital infrastructure services). These regulations were reviewed in May 2020, and the Government is in the process of considering amendments to the NIS Regulations in order to implement many of the recommendations of this review.