Asked by: Cat Eccles (Labour - Stourbridge)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what her Department's policy is on choosing whether to issue an Emergency Alert nationally or to target a specific geographical location; and whether she plans to enhance the system's proportionality and precision to help maintain public confidence and reduce risk of alert fatigue.
Answered by Dan Jarvis - Minister of State (Home Office) (Security) (Jointly with the Cabinet Office)
Emergency Alerts in the UK will be sent where there is a risk to life in a defined area and the public must take immediate action. In the case of the recent activation regarding wildfires this was requested by the National Fire Chiefs Council, and the Alert content and broadcast area was coordinated between government and responding public bodies.
Each request is evaluated by the Cabinet Office on a rigorous, case-by-case basis to ensure it is necessary for public safety. While we strive to use this tool sparingly, the Cabinet Office remains committed to reviewing every alert request with the utmost care to balance public awareness with the potential for public fatigue. The Department conducts internal evaluation after each deployment of the capability and is committed to continuously improving this valuable service to keep people safe.
Asked by: Cat Eccles (Labour - Stourbridge)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of mandating DBS checks for people who wish to stand for election.
Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds
The Government has no plans to introduce a requirement for candidates to undergo DBS checks before standing for elections. Candidate selection in elections is a matter for political parties.