Question
The area I represent has the biggest river system in the UK and some of the most inclement weather in the UK, so my constituents and I are fully familiar with being prepared and being ready for what could possibly come. What I struggle with a little bit is the other stuff in the statement. I am baffled by the lumping together of storm readiness and other undefined threats that cannot be properly outlined in name. Does the Minister not agree that storms and weather events are critical known stand-alone threats, and that there should be distinct and separate strategies for them? Lumping them together with national security, subsea cables and cyber-threats is confusing and perhaps even unhelpful to people who just want to be prepared.
Answer
Let me say to the hon. Gentleman how much importance we attach to doing this right around the United Kingdom. This is a UK-wide campaign and we have worked closely with partners in the devolved Governments to ensure that it can be as simple and as joined up as possible. The relationship with colleagues in Scotland is a really important one, not least because of the challenges he alluded to. I hope he will see that this is the beginning of a campaign. Fundamentally, we want to engage the public about simple measures they can take in their own lives. This is a first step. I hope he will join with us and support it.50% vibes
Verdict: RED (5/100)
The reply does not answer either part of the question. It describes a UK-wide public preparedness campaign, simple personal measures and coordination with devolved governments, but it never says whether storms and weather events are treated as a critical, stand-alone threat. It also does not address whether they should have distinct strategies separate from national security, subsea cables and cyber threats, so the person who asked would likely need to ask again for these specifics.
How we got there
| Question item | Coverage | Specificity | Rationale |
|---|---|---|---|
| Does the Government agree that storms and weather events are critical, known, stand-alone threats? | Not Addressed | Generic | The reply discusses a UK-wide public engagement campaign and simple personal preparedness measures, but never says whether the Government regards storms and weather events as critical, known, stand-alone threats. |
| Does the Government agree that there should be distinct and separate strategies for storms and weather events, rather than combining them with other threats such as national security, subsea cables and cyber-threats? | Not Addressed | Generic | Nothing in the reply addresses whether storms and weather should have distinct strategies separate from national security, subsea cables and cyber threats; the reply only describes a public campaign and devolved-government coordination. |