Source · Select Committees · Defence Committee
Recommendation 12
12
Rejected
Ensure a dedicated Homeland Security Minister coordinates national preparedness and resilience efforts.
Recommendation
The Government should ensure there is a dedicated Homeland Security Minister to coordinate across central, regional and local Government, industry and wider society to rapidly enhance the UK’s national preparedness and resilience. (Recommendation, Paragraph 80)
Government Response Summary
The government rejects the recommendation for a dedicated Homeland Security Minister, stating that the Chief Secretary to the Prime Minister and the Security Minister are already suitable and efficient leads for national resilience and security matters.
Government Response
Rejected
HM Government
Rejected
National security is the first priority of Government. Homeland security is delivered by a number of government departments. Overall responsibility for national resilience, national security and cross-government coordination sits with the Chief Secretary to the Prime Minister in the Cabinet Office. These responsibilities are reflected in the work of the COBR Directorate who lead coordination of national preparedness and resilience and in the cross- Government nature of the Cabinet Office-led Home Defence programme. In addition, the Security Minister’s role is now split across the Cabinet Office and the Home Office, the purpose of which is to improve coordination across Government on national security. This role, amongst other matters, has responsibility for a range of homeland security issues, including: counter terrorism and extremism, state threats, cyber security and crime, serious and organised crime, oversight of the National Crime Agency, anti- corruption and economic crime. The Government’s priorities for these areas are detailed in the Resilience Action Plan and the NSS. The Government judges that the Chief Secretary to the Prime Minister and Security Minister remain suitable leads for these matters and that this is the most efficient for delivery and coordination of national preparedness.