Asked by: Markus Campbell-Savours (Labour - Penrith and Solway)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, which minister has overall responsibility for volunteer search and rescue policy across government.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
The Department for Culture, Media and Sport leads on volunteering policy, and the responsible Minister is Stephanie Peacock MP and Minister for Sport, Tourism, Civil Society and Youth. The Cabinet Office owns the Civil Contingencies Act (2004), which provides the overarching legal framework for emergency preparedness in the UK. It creates the conditions for effective multi-agency working at the local level when responding to emergencies, including search and rescue arrangements.
However, the legal and operational framework that underpins search and rescue means that in practice, a number of Ministers and Government departments determine policy relevant to their areas of expertise.
Asked by: Markus Campbell-Savours (Labour - Penrith and Solway)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, which minister has overall responsibility for search and rescue policy across government.
Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Home Office) (Security) (Jointly with the Cabinet Office)
The term ‘Search and Rescue’ covers a broad range of capabilities provided by civilian, military, and voluntary responders in the urban, rural, mountain, and maritime domains. As such, individual departments sponsoring these various services are responsible for policy in those areas. These departments include MHCLG, Home Office, DfT, and MOD, alongside relevant departments in devolved governments.