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National Security Forum

On 19 March 2008, I informed the House about the United Kingdom's first National Security Strategy. In that statement I announced my intention to form a National Security Forum. I can now inform the House about the Forum, its objectives and its membership. The purpose of the Forum is to harness a wide range of expertise and experience from outside Government to provide independent advice on a wide variety of national security issues to the Government and the Committee on National Security, International Relations and Development (NSID). It will have an important role in contributing to the annual updates of the National Security Strategy, the first of which shall be published before the summer recess. So that the Forum can begin work immediately, the Government are initially establishing an interim National Security Forum. This interim advisory body will have a life of no more than 24 months from its first meeting and will be supported by staff drawn from the National Security Secretariat in the Cabinet Office. The permanent Forum will be recruited by open competition in 2010. The first meeting of the Forum, to be held in Downing Street today, will be chaired by Lord West of Spithead. Serving alongside Lord West I have appointed as members of the Forum:"Professor Michael Clarke CBE""Ex Deputy Assistant Commissioner Peter Clarke CBE""Sir Ronnie Flanagan GBE""Professor Julia King CBE""Sir David Manning KCMG""Sir David Pepper KCMG""Sir Michael Rake""Professor Ziauddin Sardar""Professor Amartya Sen""General Sir Rupert Smith KCB, DSO, OBE, QGM""Dame Juliet Wheldon DCB, QC" This group of distinguished people is drawn from the fields of diplomacy, counter-terrorism, the police, the military, science, business, economics and law. At today's meeting, the Forum will concentrate on two main issues: the national security implications of the economic downturn and the national security implications of competition for energy supply. NSID—formed in 2007 and comprising heads of security services, the police, the armed forces and others, as well as the relevant Cabinet Ministers—considers and articulates national security priorities. NSID will commission advice from the National Security Forum when it meets. It is intended that the Forum will meet approximately six times a year. Although the detailed work of the Forum will constitute advice to Ministers and as such will be confidential, the Government will report annually on its activity. As well as informing National Security Strategy updates, it is likely that, in the future, the Forum may discuss other cross-cutting national security issues, including the UK's approach to cyber security. Cyber security interfaces with almost all of the challenges highlighted in the National Security Strategy, and as such is the focus of a current cross-Departmental project led by the Cabinet Office. Like the Strategy itself, the National Security Forum is part of our unwavering commitment to the safety of all British people.