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Cyber Security and Resilience (Network and Information Systems) Bill 2026-01-06

06 January 2026

Lead MP

The Minister for Digital Government and Data

Debate Type

Ministerial Statement

Tags

NHSEconomyEmploymentNorthern Ireland
Other Contributors: 49

At a Glance

The Minister for Digital Government and Data raised concerns about cyber security and resilience (network and information systems) bill 2026-01-06 in the House of Commons. A government minister responded. Other MPs also contributed.

How the Debate Unfolded

MPs spoke in turn to share their views and ask questions. Here's what each person said:

Government Statement

NHSEconomyEmploymentNorthern Ireland
Government Statement
A happy new year to you, Mr Speaker, and to all the House staff. This is the first opportunity I have had to say that to you. On 3 June 2024, a busy Monday morning in south-east London, criminals attacked Synnovis, an organisation that processes blood tests on behalf of our national health service. They did not turn up physically, but logged on to computers thousands of miles away and set off ransomware—malicious software that encrypts files from afar, making them unusable. The attack had a ripple effect across London hospitals. It delayed 11,000 appointments, blood transfusions had to be suspended and the company lost tens of millions of pounds. This was not an isolated case. In the year leading up to September 2025, the National Cyber Security Centre dealt with 204 ‘nationally significant’ incidents, meaning that they seriously disrupted central Government or our critical public services. That is more than double the 89 incidents in 2024. No one disputes that we must do everything we can to protect the UK from these attacks. The Bill builds on the 2018 regulations, which were a hangover from the EU when we adopted them in this country. The Bill expands on those. As my hon. Friend the Member for Harlow (Chris Vince) just suggested, this is about economic growth as well as protecting our systems. This is one of a number of provisions that the Government are bringing forward to create growth across the country, not just in Northern Ireland. As we know, the first duty of Government is to keep people safe. The question is how precisely the Bill will achieve that goal.
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