Sixth report - Sovereignty for sale: follow-up to the acquisition of Newport Wafer Fab
Select Committee
Foreign Affairs Committee
HC 1245
5 April 2022
Government Response (AI assessment · 2 of 2 classified)
Recommendations
0 resultsNo recommendations found.
Conclusions (2) Observations and findings — click to expand
1
Conclusion
Acknowledged
Para 18
In the absence of any evidence to the contrary, we have no choice but to assume that the NSA review that the Prime Minister said he had initiated has not, in fact, been started. In its response to this report, we ask that the Government set out the circumstances in …
Government Response Summary
The government states that the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy must take decisions relating to national security in a quasi-judicial manner based on facts and evidence, with advice from the Investment Security Unit and potentially the National Security Advisor.
2
Conclusion
Acknowledged
The Government has explicitly recognised the criticality of semiconductors to the UK’s national security and wider global interests; likewise, the Chinese Government’s ambitions to achieve self-sufficiency in semiconductors and the means by which it aims to achieve this are well documented. These factors, compounded by the current global semiconductor shortage, …
Government Response Summary
The government recognises the geostrategic importance of the semiconductor industry and states that the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport are undertaking a review of the sector.