§ Mr. RedmondTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence what liaison is undertaken by military personnel with the police, fire service, health authorities and local government in the event of civil emergencies.
§ Mr. Archie HamiltonThe precise form of liaison would depend on the circumstances, but when service assistance is provided, a liaison officer from the operational headquarters which is co-ordinating the service response would be sent as soon as possible to the incident centre set up by the civil emergency services. Advice on the initial point of contact for any request for service assistance is contained in a pamphlet issued for the guidance of civil authorities; I shall place a copy of this pamphlet in the Library of the House.