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.

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.