Civil Defence laws to be updated in face of new nuclear, chemical and biological threats

A law to update Britain's civil defence will be introduced next year to deal with the new threats posed by terrorists armed with nuclear, chemical and biological weapons, a Government spokesman said yesterday.

Cabinet Office officials are talking with local authorities about how to replace the existing Cold War emergency planning system with a version more capable of protecting the public against new threats.

"The Government is likely to bring forward a bill if not in this session of Parliament then certainly in the next. It is a major piece of work to update the existing Acts," a spokesman for the Cabinet Office said. "Events on September 11 and afterwards have shown the need to plan for these sorts of catastrophic incidents."

One option on the table is to issue each of Britain's 24 million households with a leaflet on what to do during a major civil emergency. Its central message would be to "go in, stay in and tune in" in the event of a terrorist incident.

But details have not yet been finalised and the Government is talking with local authorities – which are responsible for civil defence – about the precise measures, the spokesman said.

"It is really too early to talk about what measures will be taken to inform the public. The 'stay in and tune in' message comes more from the emergency planners," he said.

One possibility is that the Bill will contain emergency powers to allow the Government to designate areas as "community assistance zones" which will enable officials to move people around faster in the event of a major catastrophe, such as a biological or chemical attack.

Preparations for the new Bill have been led by the Civil Contingencies Secretariat of the Cabinet Office, which was set up by Tony Blair shortly before 11 September to help to deal with unexpected emergencies.

The secretariat is believed to have judged Britain's existing contingency plans as hopelessly flawed in the light of the new and more ruthless threat posed by suicidal terrorists such as the al-Qa'ida network.

"The Government does take this very seriously and is looking for a structure for the 21st Century. We are consulting with the local authorities who have to plan on the ground for major emergencies," said the Cabinet Office spokesman.

¿ Health ministers from around the world have agreed to increase stocks of smallpox vaccine held by the World Health Organisation in case of deliberate release of the virus by terrorists.