§ Mr. BowisTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) if he will make a statement on the measure of protection to local authority grant to be given within the diminishing total expenditure on civil defence indicated in his speech to the emergency planning conference on 30 June;
(2) what steps he has taken to check preparedness and resources available to local emergency planners in the light of the Amsterdam air disaster.
§ Mr. Jack[holding answer 26 October 1992]: Since July 1991, when the then Home Secretary undertook to give a measure of protection to local authority civil defence grant provided that certain conditions were met, current grant has been maintained at the same level despite substantial cuts in civil defence expenditure as a whole. In addition, local authorities have been encouraged to use the grant more flexibly to improve local authority response to local peacetime disasters such as that which occurred in Amsterdam.
The prime responsibility for responding to disasters in this country lies at the local level where the resources and the expertise are to be found. Home Office officials routinely discuss local emergency preparedness as part of the process of monitoring civil defence grant. In addition, the recently published Home Office guidance "Dealing with Disasters" is aimed at assisting the local response.