Emergencies and disaster management

This page highlights some of the current parliamentary material available on emergencies and disaster management, including civil defence. This includes select committee reports, briefing papers on current legislation and other subjects produced by the parliamentary research services, and the latest Early Day Motions put down by MPs.

Standard Notes

Date	Description
17.01.2013	Antarctic Bill - Committee Stage
	The Antarctic Bill is presented as a Private Member's Bill by Neil Carmichael MP. This note sets out the issues discussed in the Bill Committee on 21 November 2012. These included: the timing of the enactment of the provisions relating to the liability annex, compatibility with existing shipping liability provisions, and the wider issue of the future of the British Antarctic Survey.
17.03.2011	Wreck Removal Convention Bill 2010-11
	This note briefly describes the Wreck Removal Convention Bill 2010-11; a Private Members' Bill sponsored by Dr Th&eacuterèse Coffey MP. The Bill provides measures to enable the United Kingdom to ratify and implement the International Convention for the Removal of Wrecks. It would insert new sections and a Schedule into the Merchant Shipping Act 1995.
14.07.2010	FiReControl and the Regionalisation of the Fire Service
	The FiReControl project, involving the closure of local fire control rooms and the establishment of 9 regional control rooms, has been highly controversial. This note covers the background to the reform and recent developments.

Research Papers

Date	Description
21.01.2011	UK Defence and Security Policy: A New Approach?
	Both the National Security Strategy and the Strategic Defence and Security Review were published in October 2010, five months after the Government took office. This paper examines the main priorities and recommendations set out in each of those documents
15.01.2004	Civil Contingencies Bill (Bill 14 2003/04)
	Civil Contingencies Bill. (Bill 14 2003/04). House of Commons Library Research Paper 04/07.

Select Committee Reports

Date	Description
08.12.2009	National security and resilience.
	Defence Select Committee report [Commons]
05.05.2009	The defence contribution to UK national security and resilience.
	Defence Select Committee report [Commons]
03.03.2009	Civil protection and crisis management in the European Union.
	European Union Select Committee (HL) report [Lords]

Early Day Motions

Date	Description
30.03.2010	PROVISION OF SEARCH AND RESCUE HELICOPTER SERVICES
	That this House notes with concern the Government's intention to commit approximately £6 billion to a PFI contract to provide Search and Rescue (SAR) helicopter services from 2012; ...
24.11.2009	BHOPAL DISASTER
	That this House remembers with sadness and outrage the tragedy that took place in Bhopal, India, resulting from the leak of thousands of tonnes of chemicals in December 1984; admonishes ...
21.07.2009	TRACKING NEAR EARTH OBJECTS
	That this House notes the collision of a large object with the planet Jupiter, causing an impact scar in the Jovian atmosphere the size of the earth; believes it is a matter of scientific ...
23.02.2009	BLACKPOOL FIRE IN TALBOT SQUARE AND CLIFTON STREET
	That this House expresses its dismay at the devastating fire which swept down Talbot Square on Clifton Street in the centre of Blackpool on 15 February 2009, gutting the historic 115 ...
23.02.2009	ABERDEEN HELICOPTER INCIDENT
	That this House praises all those involved in last week's helicopter ditch in the North Sea; and notes that the professionalism and skilfulness of the pilots and rescue crew especially ...

POST Papers

Date	Description
16.02.2012	Resilience to Natural Hazards in Developing Nations
	In the last 10 years, over 500,000 people have lost their lives and around 1.5 billion people have been adversely affected due to rapid-onset natural hazards such as earthquakes, tsunami, floods and tropical storms. This briefing discusses the potential for science and technology to enhance resilience to such hazards in developing nations.