§ Mr. HagueTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he has received the report from the civil emergencies adviser, Mr David Brook, on the role of local authorities in planning for peacetime emergencies; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. WaddingtonI have received Mr Brook's advice and will be considering it in conjunction with the review I have initiated of the options for the future of civil defence arrangements in the light of developments in east-west relations. This will enable me to consider whether a more coherent approach to emergency planning for the protection of the public in both peace and war can be achieved. I shall—together with my right hon. and learned Friend the Secretary of State for Scotland, who has also received Mr Brook's report—announce proposals in due course.