Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Adam Jogee and Abena Oppong-Asare

Thursday 24th October 2024 Commons Chamber

[Dr Allison Gardner (Stoke-on-Trent South) (Lab)]

19. What recent progress his Department has made on strengthening national resilience.

[The Parliamentary Secretary, Cabinet Office (Ms Abena Oppong-Asare)]

Our first duty as a Government is to keep people safe. It is clear that we need to act on recent public inquiries that have called for reform, such as those into the Grenfell Tower tragedy and the covid-19 pandemic. That is why the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster is leading a review into national resilience against the range of risks the UK faces.

[Adam Jogee]

In the last year alone, we have seen a mini-tornado in Nottingham, flash floods in Madeley and rain like no other across Newcastle-under-Lyme. We see the devastating effects of climate change every day. What is the Minister doing to improve resilience and preparation across central Government, local authorities, local communities and emergency services, to ensure that Newcastle-under-Lyme and the rest of our country are prepared for any and every extreme weather event?

[Ms Oppong-Asare]

My hon. Friend is right to raise that question. As the Environment Secretary has said, it is a matter of some regret that the previous Administration left our country’s flood defences in the worst condition ever recorded, and it is communities such as my hon. Friend’s that have unfortunately had to pay the price. I can assure him that the resilience review will strengthen our approach to resilience across the whole range of risks that we face, including those in his constituency. We have already taken steps to improve resilience across government.

--- Later in debate ---

[Adam Jogee (Newcastle-under-Lyme) (Lab)]

T5. Despite representations from me and several members of Madeley parish council requesting action to tackle repeated flood incidents at Bar Hill and particularly Mallard Close, families and businesses in Newcastle-under-Lyme are still being let down by Conservative-run Staffordshire county council. Will the Minister meet me to discuss the resilience review so that we can deliver where others have failed?

[The Parliamentary Secretary, Cabinet Office (Ms Abena Oppong-Asare)]

As I mentioned earlier, the resilience review will strengthen our approach to resilience across a range of risks we face, including flooding. We have already taken important measures through the creation of the dedicated floods resilience taskforce, the first meeting of which I attended last month.