This House of Lords Library Briefing provides a summary of the emergency powers available to the Government in the Civil Contingencies Act 2004.
Civil Contingencies, Emergency Powers and No-Deal Brexit (255 KB , PDF)
In recent months, questions have been asked in Parliament about the Government’s civil contingencies planning in the event of the UK leaving the EU without having ratified a negotiated withdrawal agreement (ie a ‘no-deal’ Brexit).
The use of emergency powers (ie the creation of temporary legislation) is set out in part 2 of the Civil Contingencies Act 2004 (CCA 2004). The Act provides the Government with powers to create emergency regulations to deal with emergencies that threaten “serious damage to human welfare”, or that threaten damage to the environment or the security of the UK. Damage to human welfare is defined in the Act to include disruption to transport networks or to the supply of food, money, energy, or health services.
The CCA 2004 provides powers for the monarch or a senior Minister of the Crown to make emergency regulations, under certain circumstances, to deal with the most serious emergencies. In practice, such regulations are drafted and their substance determined by the Government. The powers are wide-ranging, providing the Government with the power to make any provision that could be made by an Act of Parliament or through the use of the royal prerogative. The regulations must be laid before Parliament as soon as is practicable, and they would lapse after seven days if not approved by both Houses of Parliament.
This briefing summarises the circumstances in which emergency powers can be used, the procedure for creating emergency regulations, and the provisions for parliamentary scrutiny of the regulations.
Civil Contingencies, Emergency Powers and No-Deal Brexit (255 KB , PDF)
The importance of social cohesion and strong communities has often been discussed in the context of international events which have increased tensions between groups in the UK. This briefing examines what is meant by social cohesion, provides an overview of recent reports on social cohesion and communities, and sets out recent government statements on its policies to address concerns about social cohesion.
Reported retail crime has increased significantly in recent years. This criminal activity, encompassing offences such as shoplifting and assaults on retail workers, has impacted businesses, their employees and local economies. The government has outlined plans to tackle retail crime in response to this issue. This includes legislating to create a new specific offence of assaulting a retail worker and to remove the threshold on so-called “low-value” shoplifting offences.
The Grenfell Tower Inquiry published its final report in September 2024. It found the fire was the “culmination of decades of failure by central government and other bodies in positions of responsibility in the construction industry”. It also concluded there had been “systematic dishonesty” from the manufacturers of certain cladding panels and insulation about their products. This briefing covers the inquiry’s recommendations and responses from different stakeholders ahead of a debate in the House of Lords.
