Ministers have been urged to learn about crisis planning from “our Scandinavian neighbours”, where authorities have handed out pamphlets about preparing for war and emergencies.
Pat McFadden said national resilience against crises, built through “dialogue with the public”, was “a little bit less normal in this country” than it is elsewhere.
The Cabinet Office minister spoke to MPs after the Government unveiled plans for a national drill later this September when mobile phones will ring out with an alarm during an emergency alert system test.
But Sarah Olney warned that in a real emergency, digital alerts “will miss millions” of people who do not have access to a phone.”While the Liberal Democrats welcome the alert test, we would also call for a wider public information campaign to ensure that the public are properly ready for any potential future conflict or disaster that will support resilience-building across the UK, and perhaps take some lessons from, for example, our Scandinavian neighbours,” she warned.
“They are always working towards potential future threats, providing information to their citizens, and this kind of information should be provided through a number of different means, including leaflets and traditional broadcast.
“And while we welcome the alert test, as I said, websites and text alerts will miss millions of British people, people without phones, without signal, without battery, so we need to be ready on all fronts and not just rely on these single text alerts.”
The Lib Dem Cabinet Office spokeswoman asked whether the Government would “launch a national awareness campaign which draws upon different modes of contact”.
Ms Olney told the Commons: “The world is less stable and more insecure now than at any time since the Cold War, and consequently the Government must ensure that the British people and the United Kingdom are prepared in the event that our country or an overseas territory is threatened.”
Authorities in Sweden have published a pamphlet titled In Case Of Crisis Or War, with a message to Swedish citizens that they “live in uncertain times”.
It features information about air raids, an outdoor warning system including sirens, and seeking “food that is filling, energy-rich and that can be stored safely at room temperature”.
A similar guide from Norway’s civil protection directorate sets out that “the Norwegian authorities recommend that as many people as possible be prepared to be self-sustained for one week”.
Responding to Ms Olney, Mr McFadden said information about the emergency alert system would be “publicised well in advance, not just through the test itself but in advance including working with domestic violence charities and other people so that everybody knows what is coming”.
He added: “I do agree with her that dialogue with the public on this is important. In many other countries, this is absolutely normal. Perhaps it’s been a little bit less normal in this country, but I think we should change that.”
The Cabinet Office team “scans the horizon constantly for these things”, Mr McFadden said as he promised that the Government was “always prepared and ready to go”.
Liberal Democrat Scotland spokeswoman Christine Jardine asked whether ministers had “given any thought to perhaps a more old fashioned way of perhaps sirens or some other way of alerting the public when there’s an emergency”.
Mr McFadden said a mobile phone system was a “significant addition to our armoury as the coverage gets better”.
The emergency alert system will be tested at around 3pm on September 7, its second-ever nationwide drill.
During the test, the UK’s approximately 87 million mobile devices will ring out with a high-pitched alarm and vibrate for approximately 10 seconds, while a message will appear on the screen making it clear the notification is only a test.
Alex Burghart, Conservative shadow Cabinet Office minister, had earlier said: “It is understandable that faced with the collapse of the economy and collapse of Government, with capital flight, spiralling borrowing costs and the OBR (Office for Budget Responsibility) this morning warning that the Chancellor’s latest U-turns have left Britain more vulnerable and less able to respond to future crises, that the Government would want to come forward with a plan.”
He said ministers’ resilience efforts did not “deal with widespread industrial action”, including in healthcare, and asked: “Is the Government planning for the eventuality of a general strike?”
Mr McFadden replied that the Government had “made a very fair pay offer” to NHS workers.
“We very much value the work that doctors do, but hope that everyone in the NHS realises that we are a Government that supports the NHS, wants to work with the staff and that industrial action will not do anything to contribute towards that goal,” he added.
