25th - 26 th FebruarySadiyat Island Abu Dhabi

Title of the Presentation

Dr Campbell McCafferty CBEDirectorCivil Contingencies Secretariat

Feb 2014

UK Government’s Strategic approach to Media Planning

Overview

• Civil Contingencies Act

• Why Communications are important

• How do we integrate Communications

Civil Contingencies Act

Aim“The Act, and the accompanying non-legislative measures, delivers a single framework for civil protection in the United Kingdom. It provides a framework to meet the challenges of the 21st century.”

The Civil Contingencies Act (Part One) Seven civil protection duties on responders

Cooperation

InformationSharing

Communicatingwith thepublic

Advice tobusiness

Emergencyplanning

BusinessContinuity

Management

Risk Assessment

Why is Communicating Important

• Strategic direction

• Common Recognised Information Picture (CRIP)

• Mobilisation and prioritisation of assistance

• National intelligence / science assessments

• Emergency legislation

• International liaison

• Public information strategy

• Advice on consequence management

and longer term recovery

COBR seeks to provide:

COBR

News Coordination

Government DepartmentsMinisters & Senior Officials

Recovery GroupImpact Management

Group

Lead Department

Intelligence Cell (if CT)

SCIENCE (SAGE)

Logistics

Legal adviceSituation Cell & Policy Cell

Sub-National and local Tier Response

Resilience teams (RED CLG)Local co-ordinating Groups

Central Government Liaison Team

Secretariat

Ops Cell

COBR and Communications• Communications integral to the work of COBR

• Communications representation at the table – lead Govt Department and No10/NCC representative.

• Media and Public Information is a standing agenda item.• NCC collate communications information for the CRIP based on info received

from Department / cutting & coverage and communication work undertaken. • Produce top lines brief again based on information received from Departments• NCC will feedback to key department any Comms actions from the meeting

Crisis Communications Planning

• Departments planning - Stakeholder Planning - National Capabilities Programme Online support

What is the News Co-ordination Centre (NCC)?

• Has own operational base within Cabinet Office estate, in 35 Great Smith Street (GSS)

• Only stood up when required - scalable operation to meet needs of the response.

• Can be based with central government response team – in COBR– if required – important relationship with CCS and lead Government Department

• Staffed by volunteers from across government or from with Cabinet Office only, depending on requirements.

• Importance of the Top Lines Brief (TLB) to ensure co-ordinated information – “one version of the truth”

• Collation of information that impacts locally + informationthat might rapidly escalate

• Links to GDS from emergency publication

• Has been operation at some level almost 50 times.

Past NCC Operations.... NCC has been established every year in some form for the past 10 years.

Fully operationalMillennium Celebrations, National Firefighters dispute 2002/3, London bombing of the 7th July 2007, Papal Visit 2010, Royal Wedding 2011, Diamond Jubilee 2012, Olympic and Paralympic Games

Partially operational• Foot and Mouth Disease 2001, Invasion of Iraq in 2003, Swine Flu 2009

In a coordination role• 2004: Avian Flu, Madrid Bombings• 2005: Tsunami, Pakistan Earthquake, Buncefield, Hurricane Katrina, G8, Fuel Dispute (x2)• 2006: Alexander Litvinenko, Avian Flu (x2),Evacuation of British National from Lebanon, Terrorist

threat to Airlines • 2007: Avian Flu (x2) Bombs in London /Glasgow, 2007 Avian Influenza x 2 Wales & Suffolk,

Flooding, Foot and Mouth, Bluetongue and Tidal Surge• 2008 Avian Flu (x2) Tanker Drivers dispute• 2009: Tamil Protests, Severe Weather, NEC and Economic Impacts, G20 • 2010: Severe Weather, Volcanic Ash, more Severe Weather...• 2011 : Japanese Earthquake, Volcanic Ash, Public Disorder, Welsh Mining Accident• 2012 : Potential Disruption to Fuel Supply

There is a great deal of difference between listening and hearing

• G K Chesterton