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Written Question
Natural Disasters: Planning
Monday 15th May 2023

Asked by: John Howell (Conservative - Henley)

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the debate on Political strategies to prevent, prepare for, and face the consequences of natural disasters, which took place at the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe on 26 April 2023.

Answered by Jeremy Quin

Government departments stand ready to respond to natural hazard risks. The Resilience Directorate and the COBR Unit in the Cabinet Office work across Government, including with the Government Office for Science, the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs, the UK Health Security Agency , the Meteorological Office and private sector organisations, to assess the risk of natural hazards, build resilience and develop response plans to respond effectively should hazards occur.

The Government is committed to tackling risks and vulnerabilities. The UK Government Resilience Framework, published in December 2022, is the first articulation of our new strategic approach to resilience. The Framework is a risk-agnostic plan to strengthen the systems, structures, and capabilities which underpin the UK’s resilience to all risks, including those which are yet to emerge.

Speech in Commons Chamber - Fri 09 Sep 2022
Tributes to Her Late Majesty The Queen

"I recall my first encounter with the Queen on a visit to a foreign country: her 1994 visit to Russia. She went to Moscow and St Petersburg at the request of Boris Yeltsin, and I had been invited along to conduct economic negotiations with Russia. It was based in St …..."
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Speech in Commons Chamber - Tue 22 Feb 2022
Ukraine

"I welcome my right hon. Friend’s statement. I am calling today for the suspension of Russia from the Council of Europe. It cannot be right for a country to have violated the human rights of another member of the Council of Europe so profoundly. Will he support my actions?..."
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Speech in Commons Chamber - Tue 14 Dec 2021
Human Rights Legislation

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Speech in Commons Chamber - Wed 18 Aug 2021
Afghanistan

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Speech in Commons Chamber - Wed 18 Aug 2021
Afghanistan

"Will my hon. Friend join me in the work to try to ensure the protection of the Afghan women’s orchestra, which came to this country in 2019 and made a big impression on the UK, and is now seriously under threat?..."
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Speech in Commons Chamber - Wed 18 Aug 2021
Afghanistan

"I have never been in the military and I have never visited Afghanistan, but I represent a constituency, and actually live in a village, where large numbers are and have. RAF Benson has provided helicopters to Afghanistan. Its Pumas have served in Afghanistan since 2015. How do I represent to …..."
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Speech in Commons Chamber - Mon 28 Jun 2021
Security of Ministers’ Offices and Communications

"If I understood the Lord Chancellor correctly this morning, he said that when he wants to read a sensitive document, he goes to a separate room in his Department to do so. Could we have a look at what procedures are in place across Government to make sure that Ministers …..."
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Speech in Commons Chamber - Mon 12 Apr 2021
His Royal Highness The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh

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Speech in Westminster Hall - Mon 05 Oct 2020
Leaving the EU

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