This inquiry is being undertaken by the Committee on Security, Justice and Global Issues (Committee A).
It was opened in October 2025.
Inquiry objectives
To identify potential for greater British-Irish Cooperation in the area of Maritime Security, with a particular focus on the security of subsea cables.
Inquiry context
The recent Committee B report on UK-EU and Defence Cooperation Post-Brexit welcomed the agreements concluded between the UK and Ireland in March 2025 and between the UK and the European Union in May 2025 which it considered to offer a promising basis for further mutual cooperation on security matters. The report recommend that the governments of the UK and Ireland undertake rapid development of a coordinated programme to address threats to critical infrastructure, including a number of recommendations relating to maritime security.
A Committee report to examine the theme of maritime security and the security of undersea cables will be timely, building on this report and in the context of the external threats to this infrastructure. The policy framework for these issues in Britain and Ireland is evolving rapidly.
- Ireland is expected to publish its first National Maritime Security Strategy in early 2026.
- The revised European Union maritime security strategy was approved in October 2023, with an EU Action Plan on Cable Security adopted in February 2025.
- The most recent UK Government National Maritime Strategy was published in August 2022.
- The UK Parliament’s Joint Committee on the National Security Strategy published a report in September 2025 on the theme of subsea telecommunications examining questions of resilience and crisis preparedness.
Lines of inquiry
The themes the Committee is likely to explore in this inquiry include:
- The potential synergies across the UK and Irish maritime security strategies.
- The potential for collaboration on security of undersea cables.
- The adequacy of information sharing and coordination structures in place, in particular in relation to crisis response
- Stakeholder relationships across industry, fishing communities and local stakeholders.