§ Mr. Redmondasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will state, in relation to the Home Office working group currently considering further guidance on the setting up and running of a rescue service under Civil Defence regulations (a) its composition, (b) its terms of reference, (c) its schedule of meetings, (d) the proposed date of its report and (e) the details of any interim findings, conclusions or recommendations.
§ Mr. Douglas HoggThe working group is composed of Home Office and local authority representatives. Its terms of reference are
to help local authorities meet the requirements under the Civil Defence (General Local Authority Functions) 123W Regulations 1983 to make plans for providing and monitoring a service in their area for the rescue of persons from damaged buildings and debris in the event of hostile attack by:
- (i) identifying the component parts of plans with particular regard to the type of rescue and the training and expertise required;
- (ii) considering how such a service should be organised (structure and line responsibility) and in particular the role of the volunteer eg as a support to the CFO as a "generic" local authority volunteer, and as a community volunteer;
- (iii) considering the extent to which volunteers should be recruited and training with particular regard to their potential usefulness in both peace and war emergencies; and
- (iv) considering and drafting appropriate guidance to local authorities on all aspects of a rescue service to meet the requirement in the 1983 Regulations for incorporation in the Emergency Planning Guidance by F6 Division."
The working group has had three meetings and will be meeting again later this month to consider its recommendations. A date for the report has not yet been fixed.