HC Deb 17 May 1984 vol 60 cc205-7W
13. Mr. Fox

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department which counties had established civil defence volunteer organisations at 30 November 1983 as envisaged in S.I., 1983, No. 1634.

Mr. Hurd

Formal county volunteer organisations existed only in Devon and Surrey, although other counties had plans to make use of individual volunteers. The new regulations require local authorities to make arrangements for volunteers to come forward and to train and exercise them.

17. Mr. Speller

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department which county councils had established a civil defence emergency centre and standby centre; and how many district councils within each county area had also established an emergency centre as at 31 March 1984.

Mr. Hurd

Forty six county councils have established emergency and standby centres; and 306 district councils have established an emergency centre. I shall write to my hon. Friend with the details.

19. Mr. Squire

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department which county councils had made and kept up to date civil defence plans as at 30 November 1983.

Mr. Hurd

The new regulation came into force on 1 December 1983. Before this county councils were only required to make plans, and all did. There was no requirement then to keep these up to date, and we have no record of how many authorities did so.

23. Mr. Bill Walker

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he expects to be able to issue detailed guidance on the standards required for civil defence emergency centres.

Mr. Hurd

Guidance is available to local authorities on request and will be included in the consolidated circular to be issued this year.

26. Mr. Neil Thorne

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what criteria his staff use for monitoring the performance of local authorities in carrying out their civil defence responsibilities.

Mr. Hurd

We intend to monitor the performance of local authorities against the different requirements of the new civil defence regulations. A questionnaire to this effect is being prepared. The new civil defence adviser, when appointed, will help us to work out the right criteria for assessing the replies.

29. Mr. John Hunt

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he intends to run a national civil defence exercise in 1985.

Mr. Hurd

No. This would not be sensible until civil defence preparations are more advanced. We are encouraging district, county or regional exercises, such as the successful exercise "West Wind" in the west country last November.

32. Mr. Aspinwall

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department which local authorities plan to increase their emergency planning staff, and by how many, during the financial year 1984–85 as a result of the new civil defence regulations statutory instruments Nos. 1633 and 1634 of 1983

Mr. Hurd

The following applications for an increasein full or part-time staff have been received:

Number
Berkshire 3
Buckinghamshire 2
Cambridgeshire 2
Devon 5
Dorset 2
Essex 2
Gloucestershire 3
Isle of Wight 3
Kent 3
East Sussex 2
West Sussex 1

35. Mr. Greg Knight

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he expects to re-issue the consolidated civil defence guidance notes as outlined in circular ES/1 1983.

Mr. Hurd

I refer my hon. Friend to the reply I gave earlier today to a question from my hon. Friend the Member for Hampstead and Highgate (Sir G. Finsberg).

45. Mr. Latham

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what progress has been made in recent weeks in his monitoring of the performance of local authorities of their legal duties relating to civil defence.

Mr. Hurd

We are now consulting the local authority associations and the Greater London council on the terms of a questionnaire, which we intend to issue shortly, designed to assess progress since 1 December. A professional civil defence adviser is being recruited who will help us to analyse the responses.

Sir Bernard Braine

asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he gives specific guidance to chief constables for advising community volunteer leaders about law and order problems within the civil defence context.

Mr. Hurd

No. Guidance on the role of volunteers and community organisations in war is contained in Home Office circular No. ES 2/1981, copies of which are in the Library of the House. Volunteers have a crucial role in civil defence, out we intend that responsibility for law and order should remain with the Government and the police.