asked the Secretary of State for the Environment if, pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Merionnydd Nant Conwy (Mr. Thomas) on 12 February, Official Report, column 86, he will make a statement on how, and why, his Department takes part in corporate exercises of testing crisis management measures; and if he will list all such forthcoming exercises planned and all those which have taken place in the last two years.

Officials of my Department attended inter-departmental meetings during WINTEX-CIMEX 85 at which crisis management measures were discussed. This was done because we would be responsible for taking decisions in a crisis which would affect other Departments, and vice versa. Such exercises have taken place early in the year for many years. It is likely that this pattern will continue in future.