Asked by: Lord Lucas (Conservative - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the level of preparedness for a Carrington-class event, in particular whether (1) a warning of an event can be received in good time to act, (2) the people receiving the warning can authorise the disconnection of all grid transformers, (3) the people operating those transformers are aware of that authorisation, and (4) plans are in place to inform the public and ensure access to food and water for the duration of the grid shutdown.
Answered by Baroness Lloyd of Effra - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
Government works with Met Office Space Weather Operations Centre (MOSWOC), National Energy System Operator (NESO) and DESNZ to issue early alerts, providing awareness calls as soon as severe activity is suspected and formal storm watches at least 12 hours before impact.
The UK is a global leader in space weather forecasting, MOSWOC deliver 24/7 forecasts to operators, including NESO, enabling timely protective actions.
NESO and industry are developing the Space Weather Industry Protocol to set out how forecasts are received and acted upon to manage electricity system risks.
The Government has robust contingency plans for major disruptions. While no plans exist specifically for a Carrington scale event, any large-scale outage would follow established national arrangements, including public preparedness guidance, Pre-Agreed Written Science (PAWS) scientific advice, and Cabinet Office planning to support access to essential services
Asked by: Lord Lucas (Conservative - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask His Majesty's Government when they expect to publish the report of the review of data, statistics and research on sex and gender, led by Professor Alice Sullivan.
Answered by Lord Vallance of Balham - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The review, led by Professor Alice Sullivan, is an independent review into data and statistics on sex and gender. Ministers are currently considering next steps on the review and will make decisions, including on publication, in due course.