Asked by: Stuart Anderson (Conservative - South Shropshire)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what metrics are used in Resilience Action Plan implementation reports to prove a measurable increase in national resilience.
Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Home Office) (Security) (Jointly with the Cabinet Office)
The Resilience Action Plan, available on GOV.UK, committed to deliver a consolidated, data-driven picture of our resilience baseline by 2029 to measure changes in our national resilience. To inform this measure, the UK Resilience Academy has convened relevant experts from across society to shape its development.
Asked by: Stuart Anderson (Conservative - South Shropshire)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of statutory changes to clarify the duty of community service providers to engage with local resilience frameworks.
Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Home Office) (Security) (Jointly with the Cabinet Office)
We understand the vital role of all parts of society in resilience, and work closely with a wide range of groups on all aspects of resilience. This includes work with a variety of Voluntary, Community and Faith Sector (VCFS) organisations, such as those who provide community services that support local resilience activities. There are currently no duties placed on community service providers to engage with local resilience structures or frameworks.
Following a recommendation from the Grenfell Tower Inquiry, the Government launched a public consultation to gather views on whether placing a statutory duty on Category 1 responders to establish and maintain relationships with the VCFS is the best means to achieve stronger engagement, and what burdens any new statutory duty might have on both emergency responders and VCFS organisations. Findings from this consultation will form part of the Post Implementation Review of the Civil Contingencies Act.
Asked by: Stuart Anderson (Conservative - South Shropshire)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the findings of the Chronic Risks Analysis on medium-term departmental spending priorities.
Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Home Office) (Security) (Jointly with the Cabinet Office)
The Chronic Risks Analysis is a practical tool to help businesses, academia, Government and civil society to plan for the future. The risks and long-term challenges identified in the Chronic Risks Analysis and National Risk Register are used to inform cross-Government resilience planning and spending priorities.
Resource allocation and departmental spending priorities over the medium term are formally determined through the Spending Review process, ensuring that we effectively spend money to protect the UK from the range of potential threats we face.
Asked by: Stuart Anderson (Conservative - South Shropshire)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what plans she has for future UK Emergency Alerts system tests.
Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Home Office) (Security) (Jointly with the Cabinet Office)
To date, the Cabinet Office has undertaken two nationwide tests of the Emergency Alerts system: the inaugural launch test on 23 April 2023, and a second national test on 7 September 2025, which confirmed strong transmission performance across more than 96% of cell towers. Mobile network operators also conduct regular technical operator testing to ensure operational readiness.
The Government keeps testing requirements under continuous review alongside mobile network operators and emergency responders. Any future national test of the system would be accompanied by a proactive public information campaign delivered in collaboration with partner agencies and organisations representing relevant groups such as those facing domestic violence and abuse.
Asked by: Stuart Anderson (Conservative - South Shropshire)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the Government's Prepare campaign, if she will set out how the National Conversation outreach initiative is engaging citizens on the rationale behind national security and resilience investments.
Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Home Office) (Security) (Jointly with the Cabinet Office)
As set out in the Strategic Defence Review, the Government is committed to driving forward a whole-of-society conversation about the risks we face in order to strengthen national resilience and preparedness.
There are multiple strands of work ongoing, including providing practical guidance on steps households can take to prepare for everyday risks.
Asked by: Stuart Anderson (Conservative - South Shropshire)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how the Risk Vulnerability Tool (RVT) is being integrated across departments to protect high-risk populations during emergencies.
Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Home Office) (Security) (Jointly with the Cabinet Office)
The Risk Vulnerability Tool creates a map of the UK for different risks that we face, and shows where there are groups who might be disproportionately impacted. Vulnerable groups are identified by data including age, disability, or whether someone is receiving care. This tool is accessible to the UK Government and devolved governments through a secure platform.
Asked by: Stuart Anderson (Conservative - South Shropshire)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what public polling metrics are tracked to measure changes in national resilience literacy over time.
Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Home Office) (Security) (Jointly with the Cabinet Office)
The publicly available 2026 UK Public Survey of Risk Perception, Resilience and Preparedness, which monitors trends in public risk awareness and self-reported preparedness over time, was released as Official Statistics in development.
Asked by: Stuart Anderson (Conservative - South Shropshire)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what methodology is used to evaluate chronic risks alongside acute national emergencies.
Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Home Office) (Security) (Jointly with the Cabinet Office)
To evaluate chronic risks more effectively, the Cabinet Office and the Government Office for Science developed a new methodology, which we published in 2025. This can be found in the methodology section of the published Chronic Risks Analysis. This assessment of chronic risks complements the acute risks of national emergencies in the National Risk Register.
Asked by: Stuart Anderson (Conservative - South Shropshire)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what progress has been made on developing a comprehensive, system-wide resilience assessment framework.
Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Home Office) (Security) (Jointly with the Cabinet Office)
The Resilience Action Plan, available on GOV.UK, committed to deliver a consolidated, data-driven picture of our resilience baseline by 2029. To inform this measure, the UK Resilience Academy has convened relevant experts from across society to shape its development.
Asked by: Stuart Anderson (Conservative - South Shropshire)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if she will set out the baseline metrics used to continuously assess the overall national resilience.
Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Home Office) (Security) (Jointly with the Cabinet Office)
The Resilience Action Plan, available on GOV.UK, committed to deliver a consolidated, data-driven picture of our resilience baseline by 2029. To inform this measure, the UK Resilience Academy has convened relevant experts from across society to shape its development.