Question
The Minister is right to highlight the growing risk of the loss of services and utilities in emergencies. Preparedness needs to be driven at a national level, but much of it needs to be delivered at a local level. Will the Minister tell us how he is ensuring that local resilience forums are adequately funded, and can he assure us that every part of the UK has got a local resilience plan in place?
Answer
Fundamentally, the hon. Gentleman makes an important point, and I agree with him. He is right that preparedness needs to be driven at a national level, which is precisely why we have launched a national campaign. But he is also right that it needs to be delivered at a local level, which is why, for some time now, there has been extensive consultation with local authorities through the Local Government Association, and with local resilience forums. The hon. Gentleman makes an entirely reasonable challenge on ensuring that there is coverage in every corner of the United Kingdom. We are working closely with metro mayors in England, and the devolved Governments in Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales, but it is my job to be satisfied that we have got that response right around the country. It is a responsibility that I take seriously.11% vibes
Verdict: RED (18/100)
The reply did not address the question about how local resilience forums are funded or whether that funding is adequate. It only described consultation with those forums and local authorities, which is a different matter. On whether every part of the UK has a local resilience plan, it accepted the question as reasonable and pointed to work with metro mayors, devolved governments and local resilience forums, but it never stated plainly whether coverage is complete. The reply is largely vague, so the person who asked would probably need to ask again for specific answers.
How we got there
| Question item | Coverage | Specificity | Rationale |
|---|---|---|---|
| How the Government is ensuring that local resilience forums are adequately funded. | Not Addressed | Generic | The reply never mentions funding for local resilience forums. Its only related content is that there has been extensive consultation with LRFs and local authorities, which concerns engagement rather than how LRFs are funded or whether that funding is adequate. |
| Whether every part of the UK has a local resilience plan in place. | Partially Addressed | Hedged | The reply accepts that coverage in every corner of the UK is a reasonable challenge and says the minister is responsible for being satisfied with the response, but it never states whether every part of the UK has a local resilience plan. The references to working with metro mayors and the devolved governments and to consultation with LRFs gesture at UK-wide coverage without confirming it. |