New powers for UK ministers

BRITISH Government ministers are to be given major new powers to deal with terrorist attacks and other civil emergencies under legislation published yesterday.

The Civil Contingencies Bill, drawn up in response to the September 11 attacks on the USA, effectively gives ministers the power to by-pass Parliament and issue urgent orders in the event of an emergency.

These could include measures to bar public access to sensitive sites, evacuate danger areas, deploy troops, requisition property, ban public gatherings or set up a special court to deal with a disaster.

Civil liberties campaigners welcomed the Government’s decision to back down on key details of the Bill after they warned it was open to abuse.

Ministers will not be allowed to declare a state of emergency because of threats to the “political, administrative or economic stability” of the country, something proposed in the Bill’s initial draft last June.

A joint committee of MPs and peers set up to scrutinise the Bill warned last year that this would allow a future Government to invoke emergency powers simply to protect its own existence.

An emergency is now defined more tightly as “an event or situation which threatens serious damage to human welfare, the environment or the security of the United Kingdom or a place in the United Kingdom”.

This definition could still cover a wide range of disasters from a terror outrage to major flooding, catastrophic storms, outbreaks of animal or human diseases, oil-spills, disruption of fuel supplies or even a serious attack on the internet.

Cabinet Office Minister Douglas Alexander said the Bill would streamline civil protection procedures to meet the challenges of the 21st century.

It replaces outdated legislation enacted in 1920 and 1948, which did not cover essential facilities of modern life such as computers and telecommunications networks.

The new Bill would improve co-ordination between central and local government and other organisations responsible for public safety, and make clear their responsibilities in the case of a disaster, said Mr Alexander.