Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how cross-departmental friction is managed when emergency responsibilities overlap multiple ministerial portfolios.

The UK government operates a Lead Government Department (LGD) model, whereby designated LGDs, supported by other government departments, are responsible for leading work to identify serious risks and ensuring that the right planning, response and recovery arrangements are in place. Further detail can be found here: The Roles of Lead Government Departments, Devolved Administrations and Other Public Bodies (HTML) - GOV.UK.

While most emergencies requiring central government involvement can be coordinated by the LGD, for the most serious national emergencies that overlap multiple government departments’ responsibilities, the UK government response is coordinated from the centre by the Cabinet Office through COBR. Further detail on these arrangements can be found in the Amber Book - Managing Crisis in Central government.

Alongside this, in recognition of the scale and severity of catastrophic risks, the Cabinet Office takes on a greater role in supporting the LGD to prepare for this category of risk, with a particular focus on ensuring the right concept of operations is in place should a response be required. Furthermore, the Cabinet Office will take on leadership in responding to catastrophic risks should they arise, working closely with the LGD, to coordinate a whole-system response.