§ Mr. Teddy Taylorasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) if he will make a statement on the actions he has taken in his capacity relating to the areas damaged by the hurricane on 15–16 October;
(2) if he will list the areas damaged by the 15–16 October hurricane which he has visited in his capacity as coordinator of relief operations; and what procedures he has adopted to secure advice on the nature and extent of the damage.
§ Mr. HurdThe immediate test of responding to the damage caused by the storms on 15–16 October fell to the emergency services, the local authorities and public utilities. In order to ensure that they were fully supported in their attempts to deal quickly and effectively with the consequences of the storms, I obtained regular situation reports, from early on 16 October, from the areas most badly affected. In the light of the initial reports on the morning of 16 October, I called an immediate meeting of the Ministers most directly concerned, which reviewed in detail the information available and the action which each Minister was taking in the field of his own responsibilities.