Abena Oppong-Asare MP: speeches

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Speeches

18 Dec 2024 · Lords Spiritual (Women) Act 2015 (Extension) Bill [Lords] · Hansard source
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I thank the right hon. Gentleman for his comments. He asked whether the Government foresee extending the Act past these five years, and we will review the situation at that time. As the Opposition know, we are honouring what the Church of England has asked us to do. Since the 2015 Act received Royal Assent, we have seen six female bishops take their seats earlier than they otherwise would have done. We will have to review the situation and see what happens with this five-year extension. As was outlined on Second Reading, we will shortly see the value of this legislation again, when we welcome Debbie Sellin, the Bishop of Peterborough, to the Lords Spiritual. We can already see and feel the benefits of the 2015 Act, and we believe that this extension will be positive. We look forward to seeing what comes out of it. Question put and agreed to. Clause 1 accordingly ordered to stand part of the Bill. Clause 2 ordered to stand part of the Bill. The Deputy Speaker resumed the Chair. Bill reported, without amendment. Bill, not amended in the Committee, considered. Third R eading King’s consent signified.
10 Dec 2024 · Storm Darragh · Hansard source
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The Government are working at pace to step up further preparations for winter. We are investing £2.4 billion up to March 2026 to improve flood resilience and better protect communities across the country. We are also looking at lessons from the floods, which are being fed directly in to the floods resilience taskforce that was set up under this new Government. That will look at flood defences and bolstering the nation’s resilience to extreme weather. I had the opportunity to attend the floods resilience taskforce with a wide range of stakeholders, and it is a positive way to address future issues. We recognise the significant impact flooding has on farmers and rural communities, which is why we are providing up to £50 million for internal drainage boards and an additional £60 million through the farming recovery fund.
10 Dec 2024 · Storm Darragh · Hansard source
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We work very closely with the devolved Administrations, local authorities and emergency responders regularly on how we can address this issue. The UK Resilience Academy will be launched in April next year, and it will be a great way for us to look at the lessons learned and at how we can strengthen our responses to such issues.
10 Dec 2024 · Storm Darragh · Hansard source
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DSIT is looking into this matter to see how the issues that the hon. Member raises can be addressed. I recognise that there were issues, especially with access to mobile networks, which made it a real challenge to reach people, particularly vulnerable individuals. The situation is being reviewed by my colleagues in DSIT.
10 Dec 2024 · Storm Darragh · Hansard source
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The Government regularly meet officials to look at how we can work with the devolved Administrations. On preparedness, as I mentioned, we are doing work on the resilience review. I have had a huge amount of engagement with various stakeholders and the devolved Administrations, so that no one is left behind when it comes to making sure that we are prepared.
10 Dec 2024 · Storm Darragh · Hansard source
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The Government have been working closely with devolved Administrations, and the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster organised a call on Friday to see what work could be done with them collaboratively. A meeting was held to establish which areas were directly affected and where there were threats to life, and an alert was issued as quickly as possible to those areas in particular. However, we recognise that there was some delay in the conveying of information, so we are working with operators to see how they can get the message out as speedily as possible in the event of another storm of this kind.
10 Dec 2024 · Storm Darragh · Hansard source
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As I mentioned, we have set up a flood resilience taskforce, which looks at constituencies such as the hon. Member’s to make sure that they are not affected. [ Official Report , 6 January 2025; Vol. 759, c. 3WC.] (Correction) The Government will invest £2.4 billion until March 2026 in improving flood resilience and better protecting communities across the country. DSIT is also looking at UK power networks to see what role they could play. On the emergency alerts that were issued on Friday, we are looking at the lessons learned to see how they could be used effectively if we roll them out in the future.
10 Dec 2024 · Storm Darragh · Hansard source
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As the hon. Member knows, we have only just come into office, but we have already set up a flood resilience taskforce and are carrying out a resilience review, so we do recognise these issues. Just a few months in, we are already looking into them proactively.
10 Dec 2024 · Storm Darragh · Hansard source
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We are currently reviewing the flooding funding formula, which will address some of the issues that my hon. Friend has raised.
10 Dec 2024 · Storm Darragh · Hansard source
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There is already a long-standing relationship between central Government and responders, underpinned by the Civil Contingencies Act 2004. The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government already works with local resilience forums on preparing for, and acting during, responses to emergencies, and provides a direct line of communication for them to central Government. The Met Office is our statutory responder under the Civil Contingencies Act, which strengthens its role at the heart of UK resilience. I recognise the contribution of resilience forums, and in particular the role that they played during the storm.
10 Dec 2024 · Storm Darragh · Hansard source
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We are working with local resilience forums, and we are also carrying out a flood review. As I mentioned, a flood taskforce has been set up and is exploring the issues raised by the hon. Lady.
10 Dec 2024 · Storm Darragh · Hansard source
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A lot of work has been done in this regard, but if my hon. Friend writes to me I shall be able to respond to her directly and adequately.
10 Dec 2024 · Storm Darragh · Hansard source
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I would like to say how sorry the Government were to hear that two people lost their lives during Storm Darragh. I extend my sympathy to their family and friends. Late last week, the Met Office issued a red weather warning for wind covering England and Wales, with wider parts of the UK covered by amber and yellow warnings. The Government immediately took action to prepare for the arrival of Storm Darragh. Ahead of the storm, we issued an emergency alert to over 3 million people in affected regions under a red weather warning, urging them to stay indoors. That was the largest use of the early warning system outside of a test scenario. Impacts, although widespread, were managed effectively and local response mechanisms worked to mitigate impacts. For the households and businesses affected by disruptions, it would have been a very distressing few days. Over 2.3 million customers have had their power restored since the storm made landfall. As of this morning, just under 24,000 customers remain without power. Reconnections are continuing at pace, and operators expect to have all remaining customers reconnected by tomorrow. I am grateful for the response from colleagues in devolved Administrations and local resilience forums around the country. I praise our emergency responders and utility workers, who have worked, and indeed are continuing to work, so hard in difficult conditions to help the public manage the impacts of the storm.
10 Dec 2024 · Storm Darragh · Hansard source
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I too thank the volunteers who have worked so hard to provide support. I always try to visit areas around the country, and if my hon. Friend writes to me, I will see whether if I can visit her constituency with the floods Minister, my hon. Friend the Member for Kingston upon Hull West and Haltemprice (Emma Hardy), to see the hard work that those volunteers have been doing.
10 Dec 2024 · Storm Darragh · Hansard source
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I send my sympathy to the hon. Gentleman’s constituents who are still directly affected. Our priority is to ensure that everyone without power is reconnected as quickly as possible. Our colleagues in the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero have been receiving regular updates from the Energy Networks Association on electricity outages. Work is being done swiftly to ensure that those who are directly affected get their power back as soon as possible.
10 Dec 2024 · Storm Darragh · Hansard source
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We do not have authority over what West Sussex county council does, but we have been advising councils, which are under a lot of pressure, on how they could look at their flood resilience. This issue is really important, but it has not always been championed. Hopefully, we can have that conversation and encourage people to play a role.
10 Dec 2024 · Storm Darragh · Hansard source
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I thank my hon. Friend for raising that important point and talking about the impact on his constituents and those across the country. The Met Office warnings are based on judgments made by highly trained staff who have carefully collaborated to provide instructive advice to people, businesses, transport operators and emergency responders on a storm’s impact on customer disruption. In this particular situation, the emergency alert was sent to approximately 3 million people across Wales and the south-west on Friday 6 December. It reached the people who needed to be reached really effectively.
10 Dec 2024 · Storm Darragh · Hansard source
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Like my hon. Friend, I recognise the impact the storm has had on individuals. We have been working closely with the Welsh Government on the civil contingencies response structures in response to Storm Darragh, and have convened an all-Wales civil contingencies committee. [ Official Report , 6 January 2025; Vol. 759, c. 3WC.] (Correction) Officials in the UK Government regularly engage with the Welsh Government on this matter, and ensure that local responders are working effectively. We will be looking to see what else we can learn from this situation.
10 Dec 2024 · Storm Darragh · Hansard source
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We and our colleagues in the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero are working closely together, and as I said earlier, they are receiving updates from the Energy Networks Association. If any of the hon. Member’s constituents are directly affected, I urge them to call the network operator directly by dialling 105, or to visit the Power Cut 105 website. However, she is right that we should be exploring the impact that this could have on us in the future.
10 Dec 2024 · Storm Darragh · Hansard source
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That is an issue on which we need to work collaboratively, particularly when it comes to the impact on the hon. Gentleman’s constituency. We need to see what the challenges are, and why these matters are not being addressed, particularly at local level.
10 Dec 2024 · Storm Darragh · Hansard source
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I have been very concerned about this issue, particularly as part of our work on resilience looking at who may be affected, including vulnerable people and those who may become vulnerable as a result of extreme weather. Local resilience forums have also been looking into this issue. We are working closely with Welsh local authorities and the Welsh Government on how these issues can be addressed.
10 Dec 2024 · Storm Darragh · Hansard source
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I want to reassure the hon. Gentleman that the Government are working closely with devolved Administrations and organisations to address these issues. As I mentioned already, the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster spoke to the First Minister on Friday, and we continue to work together. Work is being done to strengthen the resilience review, which the hon. Gentleman mentioned, and the emergency alerts worked effectively to reach those who have been directly affected. I assure the hon. Gentleman that we will respond to the hon. Member for Ceredigion Preseli on the issues he has raised to ensure that his questions are answered.
10 Dec 2024 · Storm Darragh · Hansard source
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Local businesses, local resilience forums and emergency services have played a powerful role, and it has been great to see communities and businesses come together to address these problems, so I echo my hon. Friend’s thanks.
10 Dec 2024 · Storm Darragh · Hansard source
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I thank the hon. Gentleman for his question and for his efforts over the weekend to provide advice and support to constituents. As he mentioned, many households across north and mid-Wales have been particularly affected by the damage and disruption caused by Storm Darragh. Again, I extend my sympathy to all those who have been affected by power cuts, flooding and other disruptions, which I know will have been distressing. Again, I pay tribute to the emergency services and utility workers in north and mid Wales who are continuing to work hard to support the households affected. The UK Government have been working closely with our counterparts in the Welsh Government—the hon. Member raised concerns about that. My right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster spoke to the First Minister on Friday, and we are continuing to work closely together. I hope that reassures the hon. Member on that aspect. In my response I set out how work is under way to resolve the situation of properties without power and affected by flooding, which the hon. Gentleman rightly pointed out. More broadly, we are continuing to work with partners to ensure that the disruption is addressed as soon as possible, and that support is provided to those affected. I hope that the hon. Gentleman feels reassured that we are constantly monitoring the work that we have done to see how to improve for future floods and storms. The Government are taking this seriously, and I hope the whole House supports these efforts.
10 Dec 2024 · Storm Darragh · Hansard source
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The flood resilience taskforce set up by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs is looking into exactly those issues.

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