National Risk Register

Lord Whitty Excerpts

Thursday 4th June 2020 Lords Chamber

[Lord True]

My Lords, the noble and gallant Lord makes an important point. In responding to threats since 2016, we have drawn lessons about the involvement of the Armed Forces, as well as volunteers. I pay tribute to the extraordinary role of the Armed Forces in the current crisis and agree with much of what he said.

[Lord Whitty (Lab)]

My Lords, given that the outbreak of a pandemic has been top of the risk register since 2009, do we need not just a list of the mitigation required but the means to deliver that mitigation? We know that there were no standby contracts for the production of PPE or stockpiles of it. We also know that laboratories in the public, private and university sector had not been contacted to establish potential testing facilities. This would apply whatever the nature of the disease. From here on, will those contracts be put in place for any future pandemic?

[Lord True]

My Lords, the time for learning lessons, which is certainly ongoing, is also for the future. At the moment, the Government are concentrating every muscle and effort on protecting the people of this country against the virus and saving lives.