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Counterterrorism

Volume 703: debated on Tuesday 22 July 2008

asked Her Majesty's Government:

How many Home Office-sponsored counterterrorism exercises have been conducted in each year since 2001; and which agencies and organisations were involved in those exercises. [HL4586]

The Home Office counterterrorist exercise programme is designed to raise awareness of and test contingency plans in conjunction with the police service and, dependent on the nature of the exercise, involve the participation of other emergency services, government departments and agencies, the military, local authorities, health providers, scientists and technical specialists.

The programme comprises exercises that involve elements of live-play and table-top exercises. Between 1 January 2001 and 31 December 2007, the Home Office delivered the following counterterrorist exercises as part of this programme:

Live Exercises

Table-top Exercises

2001

3

2001

11

2002

3

2002

7

2003

3

2003

10

2004

3

2004

8

2005

1

2005

7

2006

3

2006

11

2007

3

2007

5

2008 (projected)

2

2008 (projected)

10

asked Her Majesty's Government:

How many police have been trained to deal with chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear attacks since July 2006; and how many police officers in total are so trained. [HL4587]

Since July 2006, approximately 1,998 police officers have been trained to deal with chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear attacks.

Due to staff turnover and role changes, the total number of police officers trained over a given period is not representative of the number of officers that could be called on to respond to an incident. The most recent audit carried out by the Police National CBRN Centre (mid-April 2008) recorded 8,124 fully trained, equipped and deployable CBRN police officers in the UK.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

What progress has been made on the piloting and implementation of the police “prevent” strategy. [HL4588]

The police “PREVENT” strategy and delivery plan was launched by the Association of Chief Police Officers in April. This was complemented by The Prevent Strategy: A Guide for Local Partners in England, which the Government published in June. At the same time, my right honourable friend the Home Secretary announced the allocation of new police posts for 24 forces in 2008-09. Recruitment for these posts is under way, with a view to them being in place by the autumn.

Progress is being made in forces in the following key areas in particular: developing effective links with institutions to strengthen resilience to violent extremism, for instance through safer schools partnerships and links with other educational establishments; supporting vulnerable individuals through multi-agency interventions, tailored to the individual’s needs—10 channel sites are now up and running, and there are plans to extend the scheme to further areas this year; delivering intelligence and community engagement training in seven different sites in preparation for national rollout to all forces later this year; and ensuring that preventing violent extremism is the core business of police activity at all levels, including neighbourhoods, and that information and intelligence is shared collaboratively with other key partners.

All forces in England and Wales will be inspected by Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary later in the year against its implementation of the police “PREVENT” strategy.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

What progress they have made on the cross-departmental chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear resilience programme. [HL4590]

Since its establishment in 2001, the chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRN) resilience programme has made considerable progress in providing:

a range of national guidance publications covering all aspects of the CBRN response;

specialist training for emergency service personnel through the establishment of the Police National CBRN Centre;

detection equipment for first responders;

decontamination equipment through the new dimension programme; and

more effective personal protective equipment (PPE) for first responders, such as the civil responder 1 (CR1) suit.

Further details on the status of the CBRN resilience programme are available online at www.security.home office.gov.uk/cbrn-resilience.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

What progress they have made in implementing the recommendations of Lord West of Spithead to reduce vulnerabilities from terrorism in crowded places, the transport sector, critical national infrastructure and hazardous substances, in the short and long term. [HL4591]

Further to the Secretary of State for the Home Department’s Written Ministerial Statement on 14 November 2007, the Government have made good progress in implementing the conclusions of the reviews.

On crowded places, we have introduced a standard way of assessing risk which will for the first time provide baseline data about local areas with crowded places at highest risk. The investment of a further £1.5 million during the financial year 2008-09, for additional counterterrorism security adviser (CTSA) posts, has meant that there are now more than 180 officers to support this work. We have also tripled the capacity of the national barrier asset (which provides temporary protection for the highest risk locations).

In the autumn, we will consult publicly about two key guidance documents: a new strategic framework to encourage greater partnership working at local level to reduce vulnerabilities of crowded places; and a counterterrorism supplement to the existing guidance Safer Places—The Planning System and Crime Prevention, which will act as a practical guide for designers and planners.

The National Counter Terrorism Security Office (NaCTSO) is due to publish shortly two new protective security guidance booklets for cinemas, theatres, restaurants and hotels. Guidance tailored for the requirements of major events, education and health sectors, religious sites and commercial centres is also being prepared to supplement existing protective security guidance.

CTSAs have now delivered more than 460 ARGUS exercises (counterterrorism scenario-based training exercises for primarily retail businesses located in crowded places) since January 2007. A new ARGUS “professional” has been developed aimed at architects, planners, designers and developers following four pilots carried out earlier in 2008 across the UK. NaCTSO has also developed an ARGUS exercise for the “night-time economy”, which will be available from CTSAs from August 2008 onwards. Regional-based counterterrorism awareness briefings are also being provided to police architectural liaison officers in 2008-09.

On critical national infrastructure (CNI), a new infrastructure categorisation scheme has now been implemented. Sector sponsor departments and the Centre for the Protection of National Infrastructure (CPNI) are reviewing our essential services to produce a new, up-to-date catalogue of national infrastructure. This includes information networks as well as physical sites for a more comprehensive picture of the UK’s critical national infrastructure. The catalogue will be reviewed on a regular basis.

We are developing guidance to explain the Government’s strategic approach to infrastructure protection, outlining the roles and responsibilities of those involved in critical national infrastructure protection, for sharing with key partners. We have also accelerated the research and development work being led by the CPNI.

On transport, the review recognised the scope and nature of our transport security programmes and that there was no requirement for a fundamental change in how we regulate counterterrorism security. The Government had already been working to address the security of public areas at airports and on the railways prior to the incident at Glasgow airport in June 2007, building on existing security procedures which apply to both airports and the railways.

We continue to balance the necessary response to the ongoing level of threat with the need for people to travel. Where necessary, we introduce additional requirements, such as those proposed in the transport security Bill. Where appropriate, we develop capability, such as our three-year operational trial of an extension to the British Transport Police's passenger screening announced on 26 June, and the introduction of vehicle restraint measures at key stations. Where possible we minimise the impact, such as lifting the “one bag” restriction on aircraft cabin baggage at 50 UK airports.

On the review of hazardous substances announced by the Prime Minister in November 2007, I refer the noble Baroness to the Statement I laid before this House today.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

What process was used to select the winning bid for the Countering Terrorism and Radicalisation Programme; and [HL4612]

How many official bids there were with reference to the Countering Terrorism and Radicalisation Programme; and [HL4613]

Whether the winning bid for the Countering Terrorism and Radicalisation Programme was selected through a competitive process. [HL4614]

The £12.5 million announced on 3 June is the money that the Home Office has allocated to a number of departments, agencies and organisations to deliver programmes to support vulnerable individuals. This comprises a range of activities rather than a single programme that the Government invited bids for.

The £12.5 million from the Home Office is to help prevent extremism in communities and will be spent on funding projects specifically to support institutions or individuals vulnerable to radicalisation. New schemes will include:

£1 million for the Home Office to extend police-led multi-agency projects to identify and support vulnerable individuals at risk of being targeted by violent extremists;

£3.5 million to youth offending teams and youth secure establishments on new work to prevent violent extremism, focused on supporting young individuals who have had contact with the criminal justice system;

£7.25 million to the National Offender Management Service and partner agencies to do further work in prisons and the community to tackle vulnerability to radicalisation among offenders;

£750,000 for the Home Office to fund further grassroots projects aimed at tackling radicalisation.

All of the £12.5 million will be spent in the 2008-09 financial year.

The Home Office regularly carries out cross-government consultation with all its key stakeholders including the Ministry of Justice, the Department for Communities and Local Government, the Department for Children, Schools and Families and the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills among others. Organisations with experience in dealing with vulnerable individuals were identified and projects created to contribute to the delivery of the PREVENT strategy. All approved projects are scrutinised by governance boards, which feed into the NSID(E) board chaired by the Prime Minister.