Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to page 92 of the Strategic Defence Review, published on 2 June 2025, how many (a) public engagements and (b) private meetings Ministers in their Department have undertaken related to the national conversation on defence and security.

Ministers have regular discussions with officials, external experts and ministerial colleagues on a range of issues, including national security, defence and resilience, and associated public communications.

As set out in the Strategic Defence Review, the national conversation will be a multi-year engagement designed to embed a whole-of-society approach, where Government, businesses, and the public all play a part in strengthening our resilience. This addresses the risks we face, including threats below and above the threshold of an armed attack.

The Cabinet Office-led Home Defence Programme has begun this work by starting to familiarise the public with their role in national security and resilience, and is supporting associated communications led by the Ministry of Defence on reserves. Effective public information and advice on emergency preparedness, available through the Prepare website (https://www.gov.uk/prepare), is central to our whole-of-society approach — when people know what immediate action they should take during an emergency, they strengthen our national resilience.