HC Deb 25 February 2003 vol 400 cc409-10W
Gregory Barker

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what measures have been taken to ensure the integration of(a) planning and (b) communications between (i) the armed forces, (ii) the emergency services and (iii) volunteer organisations in the event of an NBC terrorist attack in the United Kingdom. [96254]

Mr. Blunkett

I chair three Cabinet Committees, which plan the prevention and response to terrorist attack. DOP(IT)(T) which oversees work to strengthen the United Kingdom's defence against terrorism; DOP(IT)(R) which works to build the United Kingdom's resilience and ability to manage the consequences of major emergencies; and the Civil Contingencies Committee which meets in times of crisis to manage the response. Key Government Departments and representatives of the relevant emergency services and agencies, attend these committees. The devolved Administrations are also involved in these committees. My right hon. Friend the Minister for Policing, Crime Reduction and Community Safety, was given the responsibility, on my behalf, for Chemical Biological

Persons starting probation service supervision by year: community rehabilitation orders1 with drug/alcohol treatment imposed under the Powers of Criminal Courts Act 20002 in England and Wales 1997 to 20013
1997 1998 1999 2000 2001
Residential drugs/alcohol treatment 346 299 276 236 192
Non-residential drugs/alcohol treatment 1,039 1,394 1,590 1,795 1,133
Drugs/alcohol treatment by/under qualified medical person 631 843 1,131 1,101 793
Total drug/alcohol treatment 2,016 2,536 2,997 3,132 2,118
1Community rehabilitation order is the new name for a probation order under the Criminal Justice and Court Services Act 2000.
2 For 1997 to 2000 this was under the Powers of Criminal Courts Act 1973.
3 In compiling probation statistics, each person is counted only once in the total even if several types of additional requirement started in the year. For this reason, the figures quoted above may slightly undercount those undergoing alcohol/drugs treatment.

Note:

  1. 1. From October 2000, when the Drug Treatment and Testing Order was rolled-out to courts in England and Wales, the power to attach a drug treatment requirement to a community rehabilitation order or community rehabilitation and punishment order was removed. This explains the lower total figures for drug/alcohol treatment requirements in 2001.
  2. 2. It should be noted that these figures represent those starting orders in the respective years, rather than orders made by the courts in each of these years.

Source:

Probation Statistics England and Wales, 2001. Table 3.12 (a) and (b).

Persons starting probation service supervision by year: community rehabilitation and punishment orders1 with drug/alcohol treatment imposed under the Powers of Criminal Courts Act 20002, in England and Wales 1997 to 20013
1997 1998 1999 2000 2001
Residential drugs/alcohol treatment 4 5 3 1 6
Non-residential drugs/alcohol treatment 165 238 238 175 143
Drugs/alcohol treatment by/under qualified medical person 92 105 110 131 71
Total drug/alcohol treatment 261 348 351 307 220
1Community rehabilitation and punishment order is the new name for Combination Order under the Criminal Justice and Court Services Act 2000.
2 For 1997 to 2000 this was under the Powers of Criminal Courts Act 1973.
3 In compiling probation statistics, each person is counted only once in the total, even if several types of additional requirement started in the year. For this reason, the figures quoted above may slightly un dercount those undergoing alcohol/drugs treatment.

Radiological and Nuclear (CBRN) co-ordination in 2001 and a dedicated team of officials at the Home Office supports him in this work.

The integration of volunteer organisations in response to civil emergencies of all kinds is co-ordinated through local authority emergency planning officers in accordance with the arrangements set out in the publication "Dealing with Disaster".

We are continually learning and developing the best way to protect the United Kingdom from terrorism and to manage the consequences of terrorism, in whatever form it comes. However the Government does not give detailed information on CBRN capabilities, as this information could be useful to terrorists.