To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on (a) the stock of equipment and (b) its whereabouts to deal with an NBC terrorist attack in (i) London and (ii) East Sussex; and what plans he has to increase this stock. [96253]
The Government are taking precautions to ensure that emergency services, local authorities and Government Departments and agencies are prepared to respond to a Chemical, Biological, Radiological or Nuclear (CBRN) incident and that the emergency services have the right equipment and stocks.The National Health Service (NHS) has increased its preparedness and nationally has 360 mobile decontamination units sent to key points around the country for use by Ambulance Service and hospital Accident and Emergency Departments. 7,250 personal protection suits have been distributed to key health workers. 2,350 police officers have been trained and equipped to deal with CBRN incidents and this programme is continuing.
| Table 2. Whether offender/s under the influence of drink or drugs by typology of violence (1998 BCS, 2000 BCS, 2001–02 BCS interviews) | ||||||||||||
| Domestic | Mugging | Stranger | Acquaintance | |||||||||
| 1998 | 2000 | 2001–02 | 1998 | 2000 | 2001–02 | 1998 | 2000 | 2001–02 | 1998 | 2000 | 2001-02 | |
| Under influence of drink | (percentage) | (percentage) | (percentage) | (percentage) | ||||||||
| Yes | 33 | 43 | 45 | 15 | 17 | 19 | 59 | 53 | 58 | 45 | 37 | 51 |
| No | 60 | 55 | 49 | 53 | 70 | 62 | 30 | 34 | 31 | 50 | 53 | 43 |
| Don't | 7 | 2 | 5 | 32 | 13 | 18 | 11 | 13 | 10 | 4 | 10 | 6 |
| know | ||||||||||||
| Unweighted | 195 | 229 | 243 | 150 | 725 | 279 | 250 | 308 | 453 | 347 | 390 | 426 |
It has been agreed that fire fighters will work alongside ambulance services by decontaminating people at a CBRN incident and £56 million has been allocated by the Government to buy equipment to do this in 2003.
Medical countermeasures are also stockpiled in strategic locations.
I cannot give details of the location of this equipment and stocks, as this information would self-evidently be of use to terrorists.