18 July 2022
Dunne urges Government to reconsider Environmental Audit Committee’s recommendations on heatwaves

Following the response to the Urgent Question on the Government’s preparedness for extreme heat in the UK, Philip Dunne urges the Government to revisit the Environmental Audit Committee’s report on heatwaves and reconsider the recommendations that were not acted upon at the time.

Philip Dunne (Ludlow) (Con)

I congratulate the hon. Member for Brighton, Pavilion (Caroline Lucas) on securing this urgent question. It is important that we discuss this issue when almost all the Members in the Chamber will have constituents who are suffering in one way or another through the heatwave. I commend to the Minister the report on heatwaves that the Environmental Audit Committee did four years ago, when the hon. Lady and I were serving on it, together with some other Members in the Chamber. We took evidence from the NHS and education officers in the relevant departments. There are elements of our recommendations that the Government chose not to endorse at the time, but the Minister may like to refresh the memories of his officials about those and consider whether that would be an appropriate thing to look at now.

Kit Malthouse (The Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster)

I am grateful to my right hon. Friend for his constructive contribution and I will certainly take a look at that document. The Cabinet Office does not lead on this issue, but nevertheless, given that we are coping with this contingency and that we need to learn lessons, perhaps that is one lesson that we need to revisit.

Hansard