(Lab): It is
seven years since Australia adopted a location-based text alert
system, since when there have been no bushfire deaths. It is five
years since the Cabinet Office published its report on the three
successful trials it had carried out of these systems. It is
three years since my report on London’s preparedness, which made
recommendations in this area. It is two years since the Grenfell
fire, when, had the technology been in use, residents in the
tower could have been advised of the change in evacuation advice.
That would have saved lives. It is two weeks since the Indian
authorities sent 2.6 million text alerts warning people in the
path of Cyclone Fani, possibly saving thousands of lives. Can the
Minister tell us what exactly the problem is in this country, and
when UK residents are going to get the protection that is
available elsewhere in the world?
(Con):
I understand the noble Lord’s impatience, and commend him for the
regularity with which he has addressed this issue. Ministers have
made it absolutely clear that doing nothing is not an option. Two
weeks ago, there was a workshop of the Cabinet Office, the Home
Office and the police to identify more accurately the precise
specifications of the scheme that the noble Lord refers to. Later
this year, the Environment Agency will be launching a trial
scheme using cell broadcasting, and testing the 4G technology to
compare it with existing alerting capabilities. The previous
trials in 2013 which the noble Lord referred to, were
disappointing, but they were based on older technology and the 2G
network. Since then, things have moved on.
Finally, the noble Lord referred to the cyclone in India. Most of
the existing schemes are used to warn people of tsunamis,
flooding and fires. His report used it against a background of
terrorism. That raises different issues, in that it is impossible
to forecast exactly what is going to happen, and also, in the
case of terrorism, the protagonists are also receiving the
message alerts. That means that one requires a slightly different
approach if one is to use it for those purposes rather than the
purposes it is normally used for abroad.
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