§ Mr. Leighasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he has plans to appoint regional coordinators for civil defence for all the agencies involved; and what their roles will be.
§ Mr. Giles ShawNo, but in December we shall be starting an 18-month to two-year pilot study in the northwest of the need to co-ordinate regional planning. The aim will be to define the requirements, identify the options available, conduct trials with a view to assessing their costs and effectiveness, and make proposals. The results of the study will be made available to the House in due course.