The 2015 Independent Review recommended that the purpose of the system should remain that of preventing inadvertent disclosure of information which would compromise UK military and intelligence operations and methods; or put at risk the safety of those involved in such operations; or lead to attacks that would damage the critical national infrastructure or endanger lives.
The Review also recommended: a restructuring of the leadership of the Committee and broader membership to include the intelligence agencies and digital media; the renaming of the Committee to reflect better its purpose; more active promotion of the system to the Media and Government departments; a transfer of stewardship to the National Security Council in the Cabinet Office to be considered once other changes have been implemented; better accountability of the Secretariat; the renaming of the DA-Notices which should also be rewritten in more understandable terms while retaining their existing ambit; and a more equitable split of costs between the MOD, the Home Office and the FCO.
Most of the recommendations were accepted in full or in part. However, the Government did not accept the appointment of an independent chair of the Committee as it considered that this might have expanded the role of the Committee from purely advisory to that of an arbitration body. The Government meets the costs of the Committee and its system and remains responsible for the security matters on which the DSMA Committee offers advice.