ICE has conducted an inquiry into the defence of the UK´s critical infrastructure. During the course of our investigation we gathered oral and written evidence from numerous major UK infrastructure asset owners, operators, agencies, service providers and civil engineering consultants and contractors.
The evidence submitted to ICE by these key industry players has allowed us to produce an independent in-depth assessment of how effectively the UK ensures the resilience of its critical infrastructure.
This report addresses the main threats to our infrastructure: system failure, climate change and terrorism. It explains the current situation and sets out a list of major recommendations to improve the security of our critical infrastructure networks.
Infrastructure is the backbone of the nation. It is our energy, transport, waste and water systems. Infrastructure assets are interdependent, with increasing numbers of individual assets critical to the
functioning of wider national networks. Infrastructure provides everything from power and clean water to airports and motorways. Without infrastructure our daily lives would be unrecognisable.
The UK government has taken some steps towards reducing the risk to our infrastructure, such as the creation of a body to defend against terrorism, and the recent creation of another for natural hazards, but work remains piecemeal. In order to increase the resilience of our infrastructure, the network must be treated as an interdependent whole, with the functionality of one asset recognised as reliant on others. At present there are too many gaps in our infrastructure defence system, increasing the nation´s vulnerability to crisis.
Well defended critical infrastructure is central to the security and stability of the nation. A more resilient critical infrastructure network will ensure the UK has improved protection against future crises. It will mean peace of mind and the knowledge that our most vital systems are unlikely to fail us. The UK must work now to fortify critical infrastructure, or pay the economic, social and environmental price in the future.
ICE's main recommendations
- We recommend that the government creates a single point of authority for infrastructure resilience to coordinate the work of the agencies responsible for dealing with individual sectors and threats and recognise interdependency. This would provide the fundamental overview that is lacking, consider how to fill in the gaps and address the areas of infrastructure defence which are currently ignored.
- With climate change identified as the biggest threat currently facing the UK's infrastructure, government must ensure that the newly created Natural Hazards Team is effective. Government should invest the Natural Hazards Team with the power to provide strong leadership to asset owners and ensure legislation is properly enforced.
- Government must give clearer guidance to sector regulators such as Ofgem and Ofwat. At present these regulators´ remit is largely the short-term prices paid by end users. In order to deliver the improvements to resilience identified as necessary by government and the overview function for infrastructure resilience, regulators must have the capacity to address asset resilience as well as broader and longer term consumer interests. Regulators require the ability to ensure asset owners build in reserve capacity to critical infrastructure and that they are fully prepared for any emergency scenario.
- The circuitous UK planning system has long delayed the delivery of many crucial pieces of infrastructure. Government must ensure that the Planning Act 2008 and the Infrastructure Planning Commission (IPC) effectively reform the planning system for major infrastructure. Without reform the UK is in danger of not having the infrastructure it needs to operate.
|
