Preparing for emergencies
The Government aims to ensure we are able to respond to emergencies at the national, regional and local level, and to make sure that the essential services (food, water, transport, health, financial services etc.) keep operating. The Government prepares for the full range of possible emergencies, from terrorism to natural disasters or industrial accidents.
The Government aims to be as open as possible about the work it does in preparing for and responding to emergencies.
The Home Secretary has overall Ministerial responsibility for safety and security, and hence for emergency preparedness and response. Supporting him, Ministers in Lead Government Departments [External website] have clear ownership of specific issues - for example, the Secretary of State for Health is in the lead on planning for infectious diseases. The Home Secretary chairs a Ministerial Cabinet Committee [External website] which oversees protective security and resilience issues.
The Civil Contingencies Secretariat (CCS) [External website] in the Cabinet Office co-ordinates the Government's work to enhance the country's resilience to the full range of emergencies. The CCS co-ordinates the work of the Government Departments, who are responsible for contingency planning and response within their areas (e.g. infectious diseases falls to Department of Health; fuel disruptions falls to Department for Business Enterprise & Regulatory Reform).
Not all emergencies are foreseeable, but for those that are, the Government aims to identify these risks well in advance. The Government has a horizon-scanning and national risk assessment capability to help spot trouble in advance and ensure long term preparedness. Horizon scanning means looking ahead at the likely challenges over the next 12 months. Risk assessment means identifying risks over the next 5 years. Assessment means measuring the likelihood of a particular emergency happening, and the potential impact if it did. That then allows the Government to prioritise risks and decide where it should focus its preparedness efforts and investment.
The Government aims to ensure all organisations use clear and effective risk assessment [External website] to help them prepare for emergencies. We work at all levels to assess and mitigate the risk from emergencies facing the country as a whole. This website includes information for businesses and voluntary and community groups about planning for emergencies. Go to the sections on What business can do and What voluntary and community groups can do.
The Government is working to ensure that all those organisations that may have a role in responding to emergencies are ready and able to carry out that role. That means ensuring that all 'responders' (such as the emergency services) understand their role and where they fit in to the overall response. To support this aim, the Government has in place a programme of exercises [External website], which are simulated emergencies designed to test the preparedness and response of national, regional and local organisations. The programme covers a wide range of possible emergencies, including accidents, natural disasters and acts of terrorism.
The Civil Contingencies Act [External website] puts in place a modern framework for civil protection capable of meeting the challenges of the 21st century. This legislation sets out clearly how organisations, particularly local responders go about preparing for emergencies. There is more information about the work of local responders in the Local Resilience section on this website.
The Capabilities Programme [External website] is the core framework through which the Government is seeking to build resilience across all parts of the United Kingdom. 'Capability' is a term that includes all of those elements required to respond to an emergency (like plans, equipment, people, training and supplies).
The programme identifies the generic (or general) capabilities that underpin the UK's resilience to disruptive emergencies, and ensures that each of these capabilities is developed. These capabilities include being able to respond to chemical, biological, radiological or nuclear incidents, being able to provide essential services (such as food and water) and making sure that we are able to warn and inform the public about the possible dangers of an emergency.
A key part of preparing for emergencies is to make sure that organisations think about the risks they face, and develop plans for how they will continue critical functions during an emergency, and recover effectively afterwards.
Government Departments have plans in place to ensure they can continue to function in the event of an emergency. Departments apply the same principles and best practice as government promotes for all other organisations. This website provides much more information about business continuity for businesses in the section What business can do, and for voluntary and community groups in the section What voluntary and community groups can do.
Central government works closely with the devolved administrations (Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland), regional government offices, local authorities and emergency services. Officials regularly go out to visit practitioners, and attend the full range of multi-agency forums, particularly Regional and Local Resilience Forums (see the English Regions and Local Resilience sections).
Central, regional and local organisations also train together regularly to test all levels of emergency preparedness and response. In addition to every-day communications, central government also provides guidance to local and regional organisations on the full range of civil protection topics.