Speeches by Narayan.

“On the broader point about application to the devolved Administrations, changes in UK legislation may indeed need to be reflected in devolved legislation, such as where it refers to and references the name of UK legislation. In those contexts, it is important that consequential provision can be made to ensure coherence…”

“I welcome you, Ms McVey, to the most exciting event in Parliament this week.”

“I appreciate the intent behind the amendments and the shadow Minister’s position of understanding but not supporting them, which I share. I share his concerns about the potential for emerging risks posed by AI systems, not least in the realm of cyber-security. At the same time, I am conscious that we have not specified…”

“Clause 13 ensures that operators of data centres provide essential information to regulators, enabling them to properly monitor their sector and its cyber-resilience. The clause requires operators to submit key details, such as names, addresses and contact information, within three months of designation, and to update …”

“I believe that where the shadow Minister laid out any specific concerns, I was able to set out answers, not least on the process for the designation of critical suppliers and the availability of an appeals process. Where his points were more in the realm of specific hypothetical puzzles, I have stayed clear for precise…”

“I thank my hon. Friend for that point. This issue has not come out of nowhere. Industry and a number of organisations asked that we introduce the measures in the clause. Beyond the very clear five-step test for critical supplier designation, the Bill provides that the requirements on critical suppliers are proportionat…”

“On the first point, I am afraid that I do not think that was an appropriate characterisation, because where the sectoral scope is clear and where there is a clear risk of critical national infrastructure and essential services being directly exposed, we have specified that in the Bill. We have looked at the impacts set…”

“I commit to giving way at the end of my speech to the shadow Minister and the hon. Member for Spelthorne. On the question of consultation, I am happy to confirm that the team in question has set up an implementation-focused effort. We have started to engage with regulators already, and there will be an extensive proces…”

“I commit to giving way to the hon. Gentleman at the end of my speech. He asked about schools. I am happy to confirm that schools are not in the scope of the Bill. In response to the shadow Minister, I highlight that the five-step test is cumulative: a business must meet all the conditions to be designated as critical, …”

“First, I will respond to the apt and thoughtful points from the hon. Member for Bognor Regis and Littlehampton on operational technology. I can confirm to her that both vendors and providers of operational technologies will be covered by the provision of the five-step test for critical supplier designation. That is an …”

“Clause 12 will introduce a new power for regulators to designate critical suppliers to organisations as in scope of the NIS regulations. These are suppliers that are so pivotal to the provision of essential digital or managed services that a compromise or outage in their systems can cause a disruption that would have s…”

“Having closed the debate, I am happy to conclude. Question put and agreed to. Clause 9 accordingly ordered to stand part of the Bill.”

“I simply point out to the hon. Member that the pricing for law varies materially. I hope that, with the benefit of technology, it continues to be very accessible to all relevant providers.”

“I am happy to proceed and to focus on Crown ownership of data centre provision to others. For those reasons, I continue to commend clauses 9 to 11 to the Committee.”

“Once again, the shadow Minister is auditioning for roles in the Treasury, by talking about general taxation, and in the Department for Business and Trade, by talking about general philosophies of regulatory reform. I will focus on matters within the scope of our debate, and on four aspects in particular. First, Opposit…”

“The hon. Member raises an important point about the operating leverage of technology businesses. The Bill directly focuses on size as one proxy for risk, but it is not a complete or perfect proxy. That is why, through the critical supplier provisions, it ensures that any smaller providers can be caught in scope as esse…”

“I agree very much with the hon. Member’s point, and a similar sentiment is expressed elsewhere in the Bill, in that it ensures that the focus is primarily on large and medium-sized MSPs, and that small businesses and microbusinesses are dealt with in a deeply proportionate way. That is an important point to take into a…”

“What a pleasure it is to serve with you in the Chair. Clause 9 brings large and medium-sized managed service providers—MSPs—into the scope of the Network and Information Systems Regulations 2018. MSPs are organisations that provide an ongoing IT function, such as an IT help desk or cyber-security support, to an outside…”

“I appreciate the hon. Gentleman’s question, and I have two comments to make on that front. First, the relevant digital service provider will have a range of different customers, and my expectation would be that the regulators and the NCSC would seek a deep understanding of the risk exposure across the full breadth of t…”

“Although I will not rule a particular provider in or out of scope, if the provider in question met the threshold for RDSP coverage, it would be covered, but the locus of that coverage would be limited to the provider rather than to the end-customer entity. I hope that clarifies that sufficiently. Let me explain how cla…”