1. Memorandum submitted by the Home Office
THE CABINET
COMMITTEE STRUCTURE—UPDATE
1. DOP (IT) is the Ministerial Sub-Committee
on International Terrorism. Set up after 11 September and chaired
by the Prime Minister, its task is to keep under review the Government's
policy on international terrorism. The main business on counter-terrorism
is divided between its two sub-groups, DOP (IT)(T) and DOP (IT)(R).
2. DOP (IT)(T) is the Ministerial Group
on Protective and Preventive Security. Chaired by the Home Secretary,
it oversees the Government's policy on preventive, precautionary
security measures to counter the threat of terrorism in the United
Kingdom and to British interests overseas. It meets every two
to three months to direct the work being taken forward at official
level and its sub-committees.
3. DOP (IT)(R) is the Ministerial Group
on Resilience. Chaired by the Home Secretary, it is responsible
for policy on managing the consequences of major terrorist or
other disruptive incidents. Current work includes overseeing preparation
of the Civil Contingencies Bill. It is supported by an official
committee.
4. The earlier role and structure of the
Civil Contingencies Committee (CCC) including its three sub-committees
on UK Resilience, London Resilience and CBRN has been combined
into DOP (IT)(R).
5. CCC is the Ministerial Civil Contingencies
Committee. Chaired by the Home Secretary, its role has been simplified
into overseeing lead Department management of major emergencies
once they have taken place. In the immediate aftermath of any
attack or in circumstances in which there is intelligence of a
possible attack, the Cabinet Office would bring together the relevant
Government Departments and agencies in the Government Crisis Centre.
For civil contingencies (which could for example include a major
accident involving release of hazardous substances) the Ministerial
Civil Contingencies Committee would meet in the Government Crisis
Centre to discuss the emergency response.
6. The Cabinet Office provides the secretariat
for all these committees and has responsibility for ensuring the
various Governmental stakeholders are fully involved in policy
discussions relating both to protective work and contingencies
planning. Departments retain responsibility for their specific
areas of expertise, but the work is co-ordinated through the committees.
Government Departments work closely with the emergency services,
local authorities and the Devolved Administrations to ensure joined-up
planning in all aspects of counter-terrorism and contingencies
planning.
POLICY DEVELOPMENTS
Operation Cyclamen
The Government agreed in April 2003 to begin
Programme Cyclamen. This initiative will see the introduction
of routine screening of traffic entering the country for the illicit
movement of radioactive materials. Programme Cyclamen forms a
key element of the Government's Counter Terrorism strategy CONTEST
and is one of a wide range of measures and activities to reduce
the country's vulnerability to terrorist attack. These additional
measures are being introduced at points of entry early in the
next financial year.
The Programme has full Ministerial and Prime
Ministerial backing. All Government Departments Police and Specialist
Agencies have signed up to this programme of work. The Government
is making a substantial investment to ensure that all the emergency
services, local authorities and Government departments and agencies
have made provision to respond to any terrorist threat. A significant
part of the £330million of additional counter terrorist money
announced by the Home Secretary in 2003 is funding this programme.
The CBRN Resilience Programme
— One Minister (currently Beverley
Hughes), working to the Home Secretary, ensures cross-government
co-ordination of CBRN-related activity.
— The Home Office chemical, biological,
radiological and nuclear (CBRN) team co-ordinates the cross-Government
CBRN Resilience Programme (created October 2001).
— The CBRN Resilience Programme aims
to:
improve co-ordination of CBRN research across
Government;
focus CBRN research on developing the capabilities
needed for a resilient response;
be linked to anticipated developments in the
threat so that enhanced capability is available at the correct
time;
provide the evidence base upon which to build
policy and planning decisions, and
fill capability gaps and ensure resources are
allocated to the highest priority programmes.
The Capability Programme
— When the programme was initially
scoped in 2002 it consisted of 10 capabilities. Following a recent
review by PMDU and the CCS, the programme now consists of a total
of 17 capability workstreams. The reason for this increase was
to disentangle the responsibilities of central government departments
in order to create a clearer and more accountable governance chain.
— The 17 workstreams that make-up the
programme fall into three broad categories, structural, functional
and essential services.
26 February 2004
| 
