Civil Contingencies Act 2004 (TBC)

Question 1

What is the ‘Civil Contingencies Act 2004’?

Answer 1

• The act is designed as a framework for emergency planning + response, ranging from local to national level
• It’s created in response to terrorist attacks + instructs us when there’s an emergency

Question 2

Who does the act support?

Answer 2

• Supports both service users and care staff to ensure that there’s appropriate strategies

Question 3

What are the act’s main principles?

Answer 3

• Sets out how organisations must work together to plan and respond
• Establishes how organisations such as, emergency services, local authority + health bodies can work together and share info
• Requires that risk assessments are undertaken and emergency plans are put in place

Question 4

How can the act be applied to a real life situation?

Answer 4

• Allows everyone to know how to work together to protect themselves + the general public

Question 5

How does the act promote health, safety and security?

Answer 5

• Lets emergency services know what to do

- Creates risk assessment to highlight potential problems, which can lower the risk of injury

Question 6

What constitutes a civil emergency?

Answer 6

• An emergency that threatens serious damage to human welfare, the environment or security, which has occurred, is occurring or is going to occur
• Necessary to make provision urgently in order to resolve the emergency as existing powers are insufficient + isn’t possible to bring forward a Bill in the usual way because of the need to act urgently; emergency regulations must be proportionate to the aspect or effect of the emergency they’re directed at
• Emergency regulations cannot prohibit or enable the prohibition of participation in, or any activity in connection w/, a strike or other industrial action; cannot instigate any form of military conscription.
  Must be compatible w/ Human Rights Act + EU law; open to challenge in court

Question 7

What are the purposes of the act?

Answer 7

• Part 1 establishes a clear set of roles + responsibilities for local responders
• Part 2 additionally establishes a threshold that events or situations would need to meet to constitute as ‘an emergency’ + to trigger the duties in Part 1