Clause 18 - Meaning of ''emergency''
Civil Contingencies Bill
2:30 pm
Mr Richard Allan (Shadow Spokesperson for the Cabinet Office, Cabinet Office; Sheffield, Hallam, Liberal Democrat)
The Under-Secretary's comments are helpful, and this is precisely what the amendments seek to clarify. The weakest interpretation is that something that may cause damage to property can also be defined as damaging human welfare. In other words, at what point would a Minister judge damage to property to be seriously detrimental to human welfare? Such a definition is difficult to arrive at. Incidents of death or injury are clearer, but we are trying to establish the threshold at which damage to property can be defined as being seriously detrimental to human welfare.