UK Resilience: Preparing Scotland is the title of a RUSI conference in Edinburgh on March 1 and 2.
Scotland is confronted by an increasing array of threats and challenges ranging from UK wide emergencies to specific and localised disasters, say event organisers. An appropriate and effective response requires coordinated, integrated and coherent management across all sectors of society and governmentfrom the national to the local. The challenges inherent in such an approach are diverse and multiple but must be resolved, to create and maintain a secure and resilient Scotland.
The Civil Contingencies Act (CCA), passed in 2004, established the framework and mechanisms for UK emergency planning and response. Following negotiation with the Scottish Executive, the CCA was adopted by Scotland in 2004 and 2005, ensuring commonality of definition, responsibility and strategy. Nevertheless the Act had to be adapted to reflect the realities of the Scottish governmental and administrative system and reconciled with principles of devolved government and the relationship with the rest of the UK. Consequently the Scottish approach to security and resilience has been enshrined in the Scottish Executive’s "Preparing Scotland", which seeks to give guidance on the philosophy and structures, on the implementation of the Regulations, good practice and the integration of national and local planning for emergencies. The implications of these UK and Scottish strategies form the foundation of the conference.
This conference by the RUSI Homeland Security and Resilience Department’s resilience programme aims to build on the more generalised work that has been undertaken in the areas of national UK resilience, corporate resilience and critical national infrastructure. T
Key issues
The conference will span Scotland’s resilience agenda and efforts analysing what is being done well and highlight, where appropriate, what could be improved. To secure a resilient Scotland, a joined up, coherent strategy needs to be implemented; this conference aims to promote understanding of the reality by addressing the following issues:
What is the relationship between the local, regional and national emergency planning responses and how well is Scotland integrated with the efforts of the rest of the UK?
What are the threats that Scotland faces and what measures are being taken to counter them?
How is the Fire and Civil Contingencies Division of the Scottish Executive Justice Department performing in relation to its responsibilities to support category one responders’ duties as specified in the CCA (risk assessment, emergency planning, business continuity managment, cooperation, information sharing, advice to business, communicating with the public)?
How mature is the essential resilience relationship between the private and public sectors and how effective are the Strategic Coordinating Groups in developing coherency?
How resilient are Scotland’s businesses in terms of business continuity, crisis managment and information assurance, and how well developed is the concept of resilience in Scotland’s corporate world?
And how resilient are Scotland’s businesses in terms of business continuity, crisis management and information assurance, and how well developed is the concept of resilience in Scotland’s corporate world?
RUSI’s Homeland Security and Resilience Department, with the Scottish Executive and 51 (Scottish) Brigade, will bring together key speakers from central, local and regional government, business, academia and the emergency services, to analyse the reality of preparing and securing a resilient Scotland.
Above venue
Dynamic Earth, the venue for this RUSI conference, is on Holyrood Road at the foot of Arthur’s Seat, adjacent to the Palace of Holyroodhouse and the new Scottish Parliament.
