Civil Contingencies Act 2004

The Civil Contingencies Act 2004 establishes a coherent framework for emergency planning and response in the UK.

The Act was introduced following a number of national emergencies including; the fuel protests of 2000, flooding in 2000 and the Foot & Mouth Disease outbreak in 2001.

The existing legislation, the Civil Defence Act 1948, was reviewed, updated, ensuring it was sufficient for dealing with these new identified threats and hazards, renamed and legislation was passed to support the new Act.

The Civil Contingencies Act is divided into three parts:

• Part 1
  Defines the statutory obligations of certain organisations to prepare for various types of emergencies.
• Part 2
  Provides additional powers for the Government to use in the event of a large scale emergency.
• Part 3
  Provides supplementary legislation in support of the first two parts.

The Act is supported by a number of guidance documents that provide further detail on the statutory obligations placed on certain organisations, including local authorities.

You can view the Civil Contingencies Act 2004 and guidance documents by using the links below:

• Civil Contingencies Act 2004
• Emergency Preparedness Guidance
• Emergency Response & Recovery Guidance