§ Mr. Strangasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) whether the police, the armed forces and other statutory bodies, including public utilities, will be asked to participate in the regional defence exercises in November;
(2) whether the regional emergency committees will be participating in the civil defence exercises taking place in November;
(3) whether the emergency communications network will be activated during the regional defence exercises;
(4) what regional civil defence exercises are planned for November in the current year; what are the exact dates of these; and what is the purpose of each;
(5) whether the county councils will be asked to activitate their emergency plans during the regional civil defence exercises in November;
(6) whether the pilot study on the co-ordination of regional emergency planning being carried out in the north-west will be tested during the regional civil defence exercise in the region;
(7) whether the regional civil defence exercises are intended as a pilot for a future national civil defence exercise;
(8) what will be the scenario for the regional civil defence exercises in November.
§ Mr. Giles ShawExercises are being planned in region 6 (south-east England) to take place from 24 to 26 November, and in region 10 (north-west England) on 27 and 28 November. The scenarios for both will cover a period of international tension prior to the onset of hostilities and in region 10 conventional war.
The region 6 exercise will test the plans of the local authorities at county and in some cases at district level. The region 10 exercise will test the regional emergency committee arrangements; local authorities can participate if they wish. Final details on participation have not yet been settled, but in addition to the local authorities, it is hoped that all civil organisations with responsibilities in a war crisis will take part.
The emergency communication network will not be used in region 10. No decision has yet been reached in region 6.
The purpose of the pilot study in No. 10 region is to examine the requirement for co-ordination of regional home defence planning and how it might be met. The exercise may therefore inform the study, but the question of testing it does not arise.
372WThere are no present plans for a national civil defence exercise.