Emergency Planning (Hansard, 12 May 1993)

§ Mr. Austin-Walker
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what lessons his Department has drawn from the 1990–91 Gulf war for emergency planning of local authority involvement; and if he will make a statement.

§ Mr. Peter Lloyd
Local authorities were involved in the planning for the reception of possible casualties arising from the 1990–91 Gulf conflict. The principal lesson learnt was the importance of involving local authorities in the making of such arrangements from as early a time as possible.

§ Mr. Austin-Walker
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what criteria were used in deciding future allocations of Home Office emergency planning grant aid to local authorities; and what consultations were undertaken with local authorities over the allocation;
(2) what plans he has to issue new guidelines to local authorities on the use of civil defence and emergency planning grant aid following the changes in international relations since 1989; and if he will make a statement.

§ Mr. Peter Lloyd
The Home Office wrote to the local authority associations and to individual local authorities in December 1992 to seek their views on a new method of distributing the total available civil defence grant to individual authorities.
We have proposed a system based on a formula reflecting the needs of the emergency planning process and, where appropriate, the number of districts in the county or metropolitan are concerned.
Comments have been received on these proposals and the proposed allocations for 1994–95 onward will be announced shortly.

§ Mr. Austin-Walker
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what consultations have been 465W held since November 1989 regarding the length of the period of warning the civil defence system assumes for planning purposes before the outbreak of a major conflict in Europe; and if he will make a statement;
(2) what assessment his Department has made since November 1989 of the threat to the United Kingdom from the use of chemical or biological weapons, in respect of civil defence issues.

§ Mr. Peter Lloyd
The threat to the United Kingdom is kept under constant review. The process of integrated emergency management which is promoted by the Home Office calls for the development of plans based on the mitigation of effects and the continued delivery of service in an emergency, whatever the cause. Officials are considering the question of warning times within this context.

§ Mr. Austin-Walker
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list for the period from November 1989(a) the dates of, (b) the subjects discussed at and (c) attendances at any meetings Ministers have had with the relevant Ministers responsible for civil defence and emergency planning in other North Atlantic Treaty Organisation countries.

§ Mr. Peter Lloyd
No such meetings have taken place. Regular contact with other NATO countries on these subjects is maintained at official level.

§ Mr. Austin-Walker
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to recruit qualified or experienced emergency planners to his Department(a) to replace the local authorities' adviser and (b) to oversee the use of civil defence and emergency planning grant aid.

§ Mr. Peter Lloyd
There are no plans to replace the local authorities' adviser. Emphasis will be placed upon visits by Home Office officials to local authorities and regular meetings with the local authority associations.

§ Mr. Austin-Walker
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what effect reorganisation of local government in(a) England and (b) Wales will have on arrangements for grant-aided local authority emergency planning.

§ Mr. Peter Lloyd
The precise effect of local government reorganisation on local authority grant-aided emergency planning arrangements will have to be determined area by area.

§ Mr. Austin-Walker
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what consultations he has had since April 1992 over improving the responses of the emergency services to peace-time emergencies; and if he will make a statement.

§ Mr. Peter Lloyd
Part of the work of the civil emergencies adviser, Mr. David Brook, is to assist the emergency services in preparing their response to peace-time disasters. He is in regular contact with and has meetings with the emergency services, local authorities and others who have a role to play in preparing for and responding to disasters. In August 1992 the Home Office publication "Dealing with Disaster" was issued which contained guidance compiled by Mr. Brook aimed at assisting the provision of an effective response.
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§ Mr. Austin-Walker
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what arrangements have been made for the disposal of obsolescent message switch equipment installed at(a) regional Government headquarters, (b) United Kingdom warning and monitoring organisation control centres and (c) local authority emergency centres; and if he will make a statement regarding the overall cost of installing, maintaining and disposing of the message switch equipment at these locations.

§ Mr. Peter Lloyd
The message switch equipment at the regional government headquarters and at the United Kingdom Warning and Monitoring Organisation control centres was the subject of a combined rental and maintenance agreement with British Telecom. This agreement covered the repayment of capital cost, installation, maintenance and subsequent removal.
The total cost of the agreement over the 10-year period, during which the equipment was installed, amounted to just under £3.5 million in respect of equipment at regional government headquarters and £3.75 million in respect of equipment at the United Kingdom Warning and Monitoring Organisation.
The message switch equipment, which was installed at local authority emergency centres, was purchased by the Home Office at a cost of £2.1 million including installation. Annual maintenance costs, in the final year, amounted to £1.5 million.
The total cost of the disposal of equipment installed at local authorities is estimated at £20,000. Where a local authority has indicated an interest in retaining a message switch network within its area, the Home Office has transferred ownership of the equipment to that authority with a proviso that it should not be resold.

§ Mr. Austin-Walker
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what funding his Department is making available to(a) the BBC and (b) independent broadcasters in respect of his Department's proposals to rely on the broadcast media to issue national warnings of possible air attacks.

§ Mr. Peter Lloyd
Precise costs will depend on the outcome of discussions which are now taking place with the BBC.

§ Mr. Austin-Walker
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether local proposals to retain parts of the air-raid warning siren network for use in peacetime emergencies will be eligible for grant aid from his Department.

§ Mr. Peter Lloyd
No.

§ Mr. Austin-Walker
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proposals his Department has made for the future securing of a reserve fire-fighting capacity for use in time of war and national emergency; and if he will make a statement.

§ Mr. Peter Lloyd
The Government continue to maintain a stockpile of emergency fire service appliances and equipment. Maintenance of the stockpile was contracted out to the private sector in 1991. The contract is for 10 years with a breakpoint after five.