Perran Moon
Main Page: Perran Moon (Independent - Camborne and Redruth)Department Debates - View all Perran Moon's debates with the Cabinet Office
Strengthening Community Resilience
Perran Moon Excerpts(1 day, 22 hours ago)
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Dan Jarvis
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.
Perran Moon (Camborne and Redruth) (Ind)
The Cornish peninsula is on the frontline of our Atlantic storms—and we are getting more storms. In January, Cornwall was smashed by Storm Goretti, as the Minister knows. Cornish MPs then met Ministers and civil servants to discuss the Cornish infrastructure issues that were exposed. On Thursday, 18,000 Cornish properties were left without power after the first storm of the season. Can the Minister advise, following those discussions, specifically on what the Government changed in Cornwall’s infrastructure to improve our resilience in the nine months between 6 January and 22 October? The time for talk is over.
Dan Jarvis
I agree with the hon. Member that Cornwall is on the frontline when it comes to our resilience. I am personally determined to ensure that we not only learn but implement lessons post Storm Goretti. There has been extensive consultation between officials in the Cabinet Office and in Cornwall. As I referenced earlier, the storm summit that will be taking place later next month provides an important opportunity to discuss those issues further.