National Risk Register Debate

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Department: Cabinet Office

National Risk Register

Lord Lucas Excerpts
Wednesday 3rd February 2021

(3 years, 1 month ago)

Lords Chamber
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Lord True Portrait Lord True (Con)
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The noble Lord may understand that Covid was a novel virus that emerged. He under- estimates the importance of the pandemic planning work. The NSRA was a vital starting point for the Covid-19 response. We have discussed that in a number of ways, but there is no doubt that the fast preparation of the Coronavirus Act was the result of effective planning for a pandemic.

Lord Lucas Portrait Lord Lucas (Con) [V]
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My Lords, one of the great successes of the vaccine programme has been bringing our level of manufacturing capability back onshore. Do the Government have similar plans for generic medicines, microelectronics and power generation equipment? All these sectors are vulnerable should, say, China choose to go to war with Taiwan.

Lord True Portrait Lord True (Con)
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My noble friend raises an important point. Again, I am not going to write an industrial strategy from this Dispatch Box any more than I am a diplomatic policy. We have seen the value of the co-ordinated response to Covid. The creation of a national capacity has been greatly to our benefit. I am sure that his comments will be widely noted.