Question
In the early 1980s, along with other enthusiasts, I set up the National Council for Civil Defence, and worked with Willie Whitelaw. We achieved a major milestone in the form of the Civil Protection in Peacetime Act 1986. The NCCD was taken over by the local government office as a serious organisation. When the cold war ended, the whole civil defence effort atrophied, because there was considered to be no threat. We now live in a very different world, so will the Minister make an attempt to improve our entire civil defence structure? There was a leaflet issued by the then Conservative Government called “Protect and Survive”. I know a war is very unlikely, but it is best to be prepared.
Answer
I certainly agree with the Father of the House that it is best to be prepared. It is interesting that he reflects on a time when there was greater awareness of the risk of conflict, but he is right to say that the threats we face today are very significant, and the world is more dangerous than at any point since the period that he describes. I hope that he will understand that the Government take these matters incredibly seriously. I hope that he will see that we are working across Government to ensure that we have the appropriate defences in place, and the appropriate resources to underpin those defences. We need to focus people’s minds on a range of different threats to our national security. The Be Ready campaign will better insulate households and communities, and I hope that he will agree that there will be a broader, wider benefit, in terms of our national security and keeping the country safe.38% vibes
Verdict: AMBER (57/100)
The single question, on whether the Government will act on civil preparedness given the changed threat environment, is addressed. The reply commits to working across government to put defences and resources in place and points to the Be Ready campaign as a concrete measure. However, much of the wording is general, and the campaign concerns household resilience more than the wider preparedness structure the question asked about, so the person who asked would likely need to seek more specific commitments.
How we got there
| Question item | Coverage | Specificity | Rationale |
|---|---|---|---|
| Will the Government make an attempt to improve the country's overall civil defence structure, given the changed security environment since the end of the Cold War? | Addressed | Direct | The reply commits to working across Government to put appropriate defences and resources in place (seq 5) and names a concrete mechanism, the Be Ready campaign, to better insulate households and communities (seq 7), which together answer whether the Government will act on civil preparedness in the changed threat environment (seq 3). Much of the reply is vibes-based, and the Be Ready campaign concerns household resilience more than the 'overall structure' the question names, so confidence is moderate. |