Dr. ThomasTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he will identify (i)218W 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 (ii) the extent of collaborative work carried out with these bodies; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. MellorThe Foreign and Commonwealth Office has no direct liaison arrangements with NATO on civil emergency and home defence planning, on which the Home Office takes the lead in respect of the United Kingdom, consulting us as necessary. The United Kingdom representative on NATO's senior civil emergency planning committee is a Ministry of Defence official, a member of staff of the United Kingdom delegation to NATO. The United Kingdom representative at plenary meetings of the committee is a senior Home Office official.
Dr. ThomasTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs 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. MellorThe Foreign and Commonwealth Office is not directly involved in civil emergency or home defence planning, which is co-ordinated by the Home Office in respect of the United Kingdom. However, we are consulted as necessary by the Home Office and by other Whitehall Departments in the process of such planning.