Speeches by Spencer.

“The Minister has mentioned business continuity plans a second time as a justification for not going into detail on this, but the whole reason for the Government bringing in the powers in clause 12, and the designation of critical suppliers, is that there was no business continuity plan in place in the example of Synnov…”

“I think I will follow up in writing on my intervention to try to dig down into the explanation of how liability will be laid down when the client is not a regulated entity but is receiving services from regulated entities. That is an important point, because these are quite hefty fines. As my hon. Friend the Member for…”

“Will the Minister talk through what the data exchange flow chart will look like? How will it work in practice? Will the OES proactively contact the regulator and say, “We have all these suppliers—go play”? Will the regulator contact the OES and say, “Give us a list of all your suppliers, and then we are going to start …”

“The Minister is being generous with his time during this important debate. I was just thinking through his earlier response to the point made by my hon. Friend the Member for Bognor Regis and Littlehampton about using the cost reclaims to employ cyber-security professionals. That goes to the heart of the concerns about…”

“Okay.”

“The Opposition are trying to make it clear that ransomware needs to be in the scope of the reporting. It is really for the Minister to answer if he thinks there are problems with the new clause, and if so, how the Government will go about taking that forward. The widespread and highly damaging nature of ransomware atta…”

“I am more than happy to give way to the hon. Member for Harlow.”

“Clause 18, which the Government seek to modify through amendments 14 to 18, creates new pathways for information sharing between regulators, public authorities and Government Departments. It also creates a power for NIS enforcement authorities to share information with relevant overseas authorities for specified purpos…”

“Clause 17 will amend the NIS regulations to provide a framework for regulators to impose charges on regulated entities to recover the costs incurred by them in carrying out their supervision and enforcement functions. The Government’s explanatory factsheet supporting the Bill suggests that those changes are needed to e…”

“I have two questions for the Minister. Given the impact on devolved legislation, can he confirm that the consultation will extend to devolved authorities should it impact on them? My second question is more generally on the theme of devolved authorities. Can he confirm that, as part of the publicised “reset” negotiatio…”

“Clause 19 amends the NIS regulations and will require regulators to publish guidance on the security and instant reporting requirements of regulated sectors. In formulating their guidance, regulators are under a duty to co-ordinate and consult with other regulators to ensure consistency as far as is reasonably possible…”

“I very much take the hon. Lady’s point and the constructive spirit in which it was presented. Twelve months is a long time for the operations of Government to function, and I have faith—I will change my words—in the Government and all of their powers if they wanted to put their minds to bringing this forward. If there …”

“I beg to move, That the clause be read a Second time.”

“Clause 20 grants regulators wide-ranging information-gathering powers, in relation both to regulated entities and to organisations currently outside the scope of the regulations. These new powers will be important to competent authorities in gaining access to the information necessary to consider which businesses shoul…”

“Okay.”

“I thank the hon. Lady for her intervention. New clause 7 puts forward an assessment of the impact. It is not intended to make definitive changes, but to give time. I have confidence in the Government and the Minister that within 12 months—it is the kiss of death to say that one has confidence at the minute, is it not? …”

“It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Dr Murrison, and it is always a pleasure to follow my hon. Friend the Member for Bognor Regis and Littlehampton. I will speak to clauses 15 and 16 and to new clauses 6 and 7, tabled in my name on behalf of His Majesty’s loyal Opposition. The previous Government stated …”

“I am grateful to the hon. Member for giving way in this very important debate. This issue affects constituencies across the country, including mine—we have problems at Weybridge station. May I draw to her attention my new clause 69 to the Railways Bill, which sets out a requirement for an accessibility strategy that th…”

“Specifically on third-party funding, does the Minister agree that when it comes to infrastructure projects such as airport expansion, noting Heathrow’s proximity to my constituency, airports really should be a key target in terms of further funding, in order to improve accessibility on our railways?”

“The Minister knows this is coming. He has just mentioned the Railways Bill, so would he care to comment on my new clause 69, which would require the setting out of an accessible rail strategy, not only on step-free access but on lift downtime? I feel a bit guilty in a sense, because we have lifts in Weybridge in my con…”