Question
I welcome the Government’s serious approach to civil preparedness. I want to push back slightly against some Members on the Opposition Benches who implied that there was a difference between being prepared for natural disasters and for some of the hybrid attacks we are seeing across Europe. In recent months we have seen attacks against energy infrastructure, railways and supply chains; the same preparations will help folk in the UK be prepared for both those attacks and natural disasters. I was in the Finnish embassy a few days ago to talk about that issue. As other colleagues have mentioned, in Finland they talk about businesses working together with the voluntary sector and public bodies. Will the Minister say more about how we are learning from countries such as Finland on the whole of society working together?
Answer
We are determined to learn lessons from our neighbours, and Finland, which has been mentioned previously, is a good example of that. My hon. Friend will understand that this campaign brings the UK into line with many other countries across Europe and further afield. It builds on the existing guidance that has already been published on gov.uk. My hon. Friend makes another important point, which is that the actions that people take in their own households to be ready for one emergency can also help in the context of other emergencies.20% vibes
Verdict: AMBER (27/100)
The reply mentions Finland and says the government wants to learn from its approach, but it does not explain what would be learned or how a whole-of-society approach would be organised. It also says nothing about collaboration between businesses, the voluntary sector and public bodies, which the question asked about. The surrounding material on a public information campaign and existing guidance only loosely relates to the question, so the person who asked would likely need to submit a follow-up for specifics.
How we got there
| Question item | Coverage | Specificity | Rationale |
|---|---|---|---|
| How the Government is learning from countries such as Finland on whole-of-society working in civil preparedness, including collaboration between businesses, the voluntary sector and public bodies. | Partially Addressed | Hedged | The reply names Finland and says the government wants to learn from it, but it never describes what is being learned or how whole-of-society working is organised, and it says nothing about collaboration between businesses, the voluntary sector and public bodies. The remaining statements concern a public information campaign, existing gov.uk guidance and household readiness, which only loosely touch the question. |