Clause 9 - Monitoring by Government
Civil Contingencies Bill
4:45 pm
Mr Richard Allan (Shadow Spokesperson for the Cabinet Office, Cabinet Office; Sheffield, Hallam, Liberal Democrat)
It is worth pausing for a brief moment on clause 9, because we referred earlier to how we will know that local government and all the authorities referred to are actually doing what they should be doing. How can we maintain some kind of quality control over contingency planning, which will be spread around the country?
I am curious about clause 9. The explanatory notes say that clause 9 will allow the Government–Scottish Ministers or a Minister of the Crown, in the case of England and Wales–
''to require a Category 1 or Category 2 responder to provide information which relates to the performance of their functions under Part 1 of the Bill. It is likely that this power will be used to support the functions of making secondary legislation under Part 1 and of taking enforcement action under clauses 10 and 11.''
What seems curious is that that is a generic power. The Liberal Democrats have called for assurances that there will be an inspection and performance monitoring regime. However, no detail is given. The explanatory notes say:
''It is likely that this power will be used''.
The clause therefore says that the Government will have the power to act, but we have no detail on how they envisage things actually happening or how such powers will be used. Can the Minister give an early indication of the Government's proposed monitoring regime for part 1?