Civil Contingencies Secretariat (CCS)
How We Work
CCS is part of the Cabinet Office. We report to Ministers through Robert Hannigan, Permanent Secretary, Intelligence, Security and Resilience. The Minister for the Cabinet Office answers for the work of the Secretariat in Parliament.
We have a number of teams within the Secretariat:
Director of Civil Contingencies
The Director of Civil Contingencies is Bruce Mann. He was previously with the Ministry of Defence as Director General Financial Management. Prior to that he served as Director of the MoD's Defence Resources and Plans; he was seconded to NATO headquarters for the Kosovo crisis; and he has been the Director of MoD Defence policy. He was also the Secretary to the Butler Committee.
In his role as Director of Civil Contingencies he reports to Robert Hannigan, Permanent Secretary, Intelligence, Security and Resilience.
The Horizon Scanning and Response Team
The role of the Horizon Scanning and Response Team is to assess circumstances that may precipitate an emergency, communicate our assessment to the key decision-makers and other parts of CCS and assist in developing an integrated response. Five specialist desks cover the full range of disruptive challenges, each with its own networks of contacts and up to the minute sources of information.
Departments and other organisations have an interest in spotting risks that could affect their own operations. When they spot something that could potentially develop into an emergency they alert CCS. Conversely if the Horizon Scanning and Response Team picks up signals either directly or from one of its other contacts, it will share and discuss the indications with relevant partners in Government Departments and elsewhere. Together we aim to reach a view of the potential challenge that takes into account all relevant perspectives to reach an assessment of likelihood, impact and readiness.
Written assessments will go forward to the cross-government Domestic Horizon Scanning Committee (DHSC) and once approved will be issued to senior government officials and ministers as an agreed assessment on which to base decisions and planning. The Domestic Horizon Scanning Committee may commission assessments on specific subjects.
During emergencies there is likely to be a need to produce more regular and immediate assessments of how the emergency is developing, again taking into account the information from all relevant partners. This supports activities in COBR - the Cabinet Office Briefing Room - and the CCS Co-ordination Centre, which are designed to deliver an integrated government response.
Capabilities Team
The Capabilities Team provides programme management for the cross-Government Capabilities Programme. It also provides secretariat support to the cabinet committees responsible for driving the programme forward.
The aim of the Capabilities Programme is to ensure that a robust infrastructure of response is in place to deal rapidly, effectively and flexibly with the consequences of civil devastation and widespread disaster inflicted as a result of conventional or non-conventional disruptive activity. The programme aims to achieve this by identifying the capabilities necessary to build UK resilience and ensuring that each of these is developed in accordance with the delivery techniques developed by the Prime Minister's Delivery Unit (PMDU) in connection with the Government's Public Service Agreement (PSA) targets.
The Capabilities Programme is underpinned by the Resilience Capability Framework (RCF). This consists of a risk assessment processes which have identified malicious and natural hazards that the UK might face at national and regional levels. This has led to the development of planning assumptions which provide the basis for resilience planning. Workstreams have analysed their capability requirements and these, together with the results of the National Capability Survey, inform the setting of Capability Targets (ie the level of capability which will be delivered).
Strategy and Communications Team
The Strategy and Communications Team provides direct support to the Head of the Secretariat in order to ensure that our work is properly focussed, intellectually consistent and coherently communicated.
Civil Contingencies Act and Local Response Capability Team
The Civil Contingencies Act and Local Response Capability Team is responsible for delivering the successful implementation of the Civil Contingencies Act, management of the local response capability and doctrine of local civil protection. The Team leads work on local authority civil protection funding, and manages a programme of contact between CCS and local responders. The Team represents local responders within government, and works closely with the Regional Resilience Division in DCLG to join up local and regional civil protection work.
International Team
The International Team handles liaison with EU and NATO partners on international civil protection issues. The Team works with partners across government to manage civil protection issues in the context of the UK's presidency of both the EU and the G8.
Exercises and Operations Team
The Exercises and Operations Team is responsible for a co-ordinated government-wide exercise programme, and for leading work on exercise policy. The Team also looks after the CCS interest in the government's crisis facilities which would be used in the event of operations.
Corporate Services Team
The Corporate Services Team supports the whole Secretariat, managing many of the systems which underpin the Secretariat's external relationships including handling of correspondence and non-Act Parliamentary business. The Team also oversees all Secretariat staffing, resourcing and facilities issues.
The Emergency Planning College
The Emergency Planning College [External website], sited at Easingwold, is home to the UK's leading experts in emergency planning and crisis management training. Its diverse and dynamic programme attracts in excess of six thousand delegates per year from a wide range of backgrounds, providing a national forum for discussion and the sharing of good practice.
The College aims to develop the key skills and awareness needed in order to improve the capability of all levels of government, the wider public sector, and the private and voluntary sectors to prepare for, respond to, and manage potential disruptive challenges.
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