§ Dr. Evan HarrisTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what representations he has received on the capacity of primary care trusts to undertake their emergency planning roles. [122102]
§ Mr. HuttonThe Department of Health has not received any representations on the capacity of primary care trusts (PCTs) to undertake their emergency planning roles.
The review of major incident planning capacity carried out by the Department earlier this year revealed that PCTs have satisfactory emergency planning arrangements in place against eight set criteria: clarity, coherence, contingencies, collaboration, credibility, capability, communications and commitment.
The outcome of the review is now being used to develop a programme of work to further strengthen emergency planning in the national health service. This includes revised guidance, currently being developed by the Department, the Health Protection Agency and the NHS. The guidance will be issued shortly.
§ Dr. Evan HarrisTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress has been made with plans for a poster campaign advising what to do in the event of a chemical or biological attack; and if he will make a statement on other plans to inform the public(a) in preparation for and (b) in the event of a chemical, biological, radiological or nuclear incident. [122101]
§ Mr. HuttonPublic communications on issues including health in preparation for and in the event of a chemical, biological, radiological or nuclear (CBRN) incident are planned and co-ordinated in a cross-Government context. The Department of Health is working closely with the Home Office CBRN Resilience Team and Government Information and Communication Service (GIGS) in the Cabinet Office. Information about terrorism and sensible measures for emergencies are available on the Home Office terrorism website. Further details on chemical and biological deliberate releases are also available on the Department of Health and Health Protection Agency websites.
Information and advice to the public will be made available in the event of a discernible threat of a specific incident.