§ 26. Mrs. LaitTo ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what progress is being made in developing a dialogue with relevant private sector organisations on the issues of defensive information warfare. [63747]
§ Mr. KilfoyleThe Government attach great importance to the protection of key IT systems in Government and the private sector. As my hon. Friend the Under-Secretary of State for Defence indicated in the information warfare Adjournment Debate on 4 November 1998,Official Report, columns 987–92, the Government hope to announce shortly new initiatives to enhance the defence of the critical national infrastructure from the risk, of a disabling electronic attack. A well-established partnership already exists with key private sector players as part of the long-standing arrangements for protection against threats such as terrorism and this provides a strong foundation for further development of dialogue and appropriate protective measures, to defend against information Warfare.