Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to review the preparedness of the UK to deal with severe cold weather conditions.

The Government constantly reviews preparedness for the risks facing the UK, drawing on the National Risk Assessment (NRA) and Resilience Capabilities Programme (RCP). This includes preparedness to respond to and recover from severe cold weather. In addition, following any major event, debriefs are undertaken by relevant Departments and agencies to identify any lessons learned and improve future responses. This is the case with respect to the recent period of cold weather, where the Water Services Regulation Authority (Ofwat) is considering the recent water supply issue, identifying the causes of the problems and reviewing the response of the water companies. The results will be published by 15 June.