Dr. ThomasTo ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster whether he will identify(a) liaison arrangements between his Department and the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation civil emergency planning boards and committees, concerning civil emergency and home defence planning, and (b) the extent of collaborative work carried out with these bodies; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. ButcherThe DTI represents the United Kingdom on the NATO industrial planning committee, which meets twice a year at plenary level and four times at working group level. This committee, together with the food and agriculture planning committee, is responsible for planning and exercising the Central Supplies Agency, a NATO civil wartime agency. The Central Supplies Agency would be responsible for ensuring the continued availability and equitable distribution of both civil and military purposes of food, agricultural and industrial supplies. The committee also exchanges information on the wartime industrial plans of member countries and studies on a selective basis their capability to produce essential industrial supplies during wartime.
Dr. ThomasTo ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster whether he will identify the terms of reference of work on(a) civil emergencies and (b) home defence planning carried out in his Department, the number of staff involved and the annual budgets for 1985–86, 1986–87 and 1987–88; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. ButcherCivil emergency and home defence planning in the DTI is aimed at ensuring that those industries for which the Department is responsible would be able to meet any essential demands placed upon them during an emergency. Six members of staff are currently engaged full time on the work, with assistance from other staff as necessary. Annual expenditure has been as follows:
£000 's 1985–86 125 1986–87 130 1987–88 135