Cabinet Office UK Resilience
Last updated: 12 August 2009
For a list of Lead Government Departments (LGDs) for UK emergencies, including Devolved aspects, please see List of LGDs' Responsibilities
When emergencies occur in Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland, the response will often require the involvement of the Devolved Administrations. This section outlines the various devolution settlements and the respective civil protection arrangements.
The devolved administrations take on some of the lead government department responsibilities which are carried out by UK government departments in England, and some of the regional co-ordination responsibilities which fall to Regional Resilience Teams in England.
The balance of activity and interaction between the devolved authorities and the UK government in relation to emergencies will depend on the nature of the incident and the devolution settlement. However, the principles of emergency response are the same throughout the United Kingdom.
The Scottish Ministers have devolved responsibilities related to managing the consequences of emergencies in Scotland. Scottish emergency response arrangements are based on the same principles as those that apply elsewhere in the United Kingdom.
The Scottish Emergency Co-ordination Arrangements set out the structure for an integrated response to an emergency in Scotland. The arrangements provide for Scottish Ministers to act as a focus for communications with the UK government
A Strategic Co-ordinating Group may be established in each police force area to determine the strategy for the response and the appropriate management structures to co-ordinate the local inter-agency response.
Scottish Ministers may open the Scottish Government Resilience Room (SGoRR), which will gather and disseminate information, co-ordinate activity and provide appropriate guidance/support the Scottish response to emergencies. It will provide a national picture of the impact of the emergency which, in turn, can be used to advise and inform decisions on the strategic management of the situation for Scottish and UK government.
This chapter also addresses:
The Welsh Assembly Government plays an important role in emergencies in or affecting Wales.
The Pan-Wales Response Plan sets out the arrangements for the pan-Wales level integration of the Welsh response to an emergency in or affecting Wales.
The Wales Civil Contingencies Committee (WCCC) is constituted and functions in a similar way to its regional counterparts in England. The Welsh Assembly Government provides support for the Wales Civil Contingencies Committee.
The Emergency Co-ordination Centre (Wales) (ECC(W) is a facility established by the Welsh Assembly Government to gather and disseminate information in Wales on developing emergencies. It supports the Wales Civil Contingencies Committee and Welsh Ministers in providing briefing and advice on emergencies.
The Welsh Assembly Government Communications Division will act as a link between the local media and community relations lead, and, the United Kingdom government’s News Co-ordination Centre and UK Government Department media teams where appropriate.
Response arrangements at the local level in Wales are the same as those in England but take into account devolved functions.
If emergency regulations are made covering Wales, the UK government must appoint a Wales Emergency Co-ordinator.
The Northern Ireland Executive plays an important role in emergencies in or affecting Northern Ireland.
Northern Ireland emergency response and recovery arrangements are based on the same principles that apply elsewhere in the United Kingdom.
Northern Ireland has its own unique administrative arrangements. Details such as the identities of organisations which deliver emergency responses and the arrangements for inter-agency co-ordination differ from arrangements elsewhere in the UK.
Emergency response and recovery is carried out at local levels by the emergency services, district councils and other public service organisations such as the local office or agency of a government department.
At the Northern Ireland level, the strategic response is provided by the emergency services, the Northern Ireland Office and the Northern Ireland departments.
Arrangements are in place to trigger the Northern Ireland Central Crisis Management Arrangements (NICCMA) in response to actual or anticipated emergencies, and to scale up the level of co-ordination if the situation demands it.
Strategic co-ordination at the Northern Ireland level is delivered by the Crisis Management Group (CMG) and supporting machinery.
The central crisis management machinery is supported by the Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister, which will establish the Northern Ireland Central Operations Room, if required.
In the most challenging emergencies, especially where they affect the whole of the UK, the NICCMA would link to the UK arrangements.
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General enquiries: Cabinet Office, 22 Whitehall, London SW1A 2WH.
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