§ Mr. Matthew TaylorTo ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many times(a) Ministers and (b) officials in her Department have held meetings with the United States Special Envoy for Cryptography, Ambassador David Aaron, since 1 January 1998 on (i) encryption and (ii) other issues; what were the dates and locations of each meeting; and what other (1) British and (2) United States Government Departments took part in each meeting. [94011]
§ Marjorie MowlamCabinet Office Ministers have not met Ambassador Aaron. Cabinet Office officials have met Ambassador Aaron on four occasions since 1 January 1998. Each of these meetings related to discussions about national and international policies on encryption and possible changes to export controls on cryptographic goods under the Wassenaar Arrangement for Export Controls on Conventional Arms and Dual Use Goods. The dates and locations of these meetings were as follows: 18 May 1998, London; 4 June 1998, Stockholm; 3 September 1998, Ottawa; 3 December 1998, Vienna.
The meetings on 4 June, 3 September and 3 December were also attended by officials from the Department of Trade and Industry and the Government's technical advisers on information security, the Communications Electronic Security Group.
On the United States side, the meetings involved officials from the Departments of State, Commerce, Justice and Defense, and from the National Security Council. With the exception of the 18 May meeting, which was a bilateral visit by Ambassador Aaron to the United Kingdom, these contacts were multinational meetings involving a number of other countries.
§ Mr. Matthew TaylorTo ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office when officials from her Department attended meetings of the United States Department of Commerce's Technical Advisory Committee to Develop Federal Information Processing Standard for the Federal Key Management Infrastructure. [94010]
§ Mr. Ian McCartneyNo officials from the Cabinet Office have attended meetings of this committee.