National Resilience

Fred Thomas, the Labour MP for Plymouth Moor View, asked the Government what recent progress has been made on strengthening national resilience. In response, Ms Abena Oppong-Asare, the Parliamentary Secretary at the Cabinet Office, acknowledged the importance of long-term, sustainable resilience. She stated that the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster will chair a dedicated Cabinet Committee on the subject, and that the Government will carefully review its strategic approach to improving resilience and preparation across central Government, local authorities, communities, and the emergency services, in response to the UK Covid-19 Inquiry's report on resilience and preparedness. Mr. Thomas welcomed the Minister to her position and thanked the key workers in the NHS who kept the country safe during the Covid-19 crisis. He noted that staff at Derriford hospital in Plymouth faced extremely difficult circumstances during the pandemic, and that the Covid inquiry found the country was not adequately prepared. He asked what steps the Minister will take to ensure that if there is another pandemic, key workers in places like Plymouth are not put under the same stress again. Ms Oppong-Asare responded that the Government will ensure that lessons are learned from the inquiry and the response to the pandemic, and that they will take the necessary time to consider the inquiry's report and assess the UK's resilience in respect of the full range of risks it faces. She stated that the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster will chair a committee for resilience, which will improve the health sector, increase public trust in the Government, kick-start economic growth, and improve resilience across the UK. Richard Holden, the Conservative MP for Basildon and Billericay, intervened to emphasize the importance of resilience and ensuring that the civil service workforce is working closely together to embed national resilience across the public sector. He noted that the previous Government had mandated that civil servants be in the office for at least three days a week, and asked what the current Government will do to ensure this. Ms Oppong-Asare responded that the Government will work strongly together across the UK, including with the devolved administrations, and that they will learn from the lessons of the past to ensure that the civil service is working effectively to improve national resilience.