§ Mr. BrazierTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the outcome of the review of warning and monitoring arrangements in the United Kingdom; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. HurdI have received the report of the review. With the agreement of my right hon. Friends the Secretaries of State for Scotland, for Northern ireland and for Defence, I have today placed in the Library of the House a summary of the principal findings. The review has been conducted with great thoroughness and amounts to the most comprehensive analysis of our warning and monitoring arrangements for many years.
181WThe review took account of current planning assumptions, technological advances and wider developments in civil protection. It made proposals for the development of a new warning system and for the automation of functions associated with monitoring. It also assessed the extent to which the warning and monitoring arrangements might usefully be applied to certain peacetime emergencies.
The programme of change proposed will require detailed scrutiny. In particular, the financial and operational implications will need further consideration by means of a number of detailed studies in key areas. No decisions have been taken about the review at this stage. Officials will now consult widely on its findings.