Civil emergency whole system preparedness: 2025 report
Report on whole system civil emergency preparedness 2025 - COVID-19 recommendation eight.
3. Scottish Government Arrangements
Crisis Preparation Oversight Group
To strengthen preparedness for both common and catastrophic emergencies, the Scottish Government is developing a risk-based approach to crisis prevention and response. The Crisis Preparation Oversight Group will provide strategic oversight and assurance to the Executive Team and Ministers on whole-system civil contingencies readiness. This governance will cover impacts across sectors such as the economy, education, and food, as well as national risks requiring specialised planning, such as pandemics.
The Crisis Preparation Oversight Group is comprised of director-level Senior Strategic Leads. It provides a structured mechanism for assessing and prioritising mitigation efforts aligned with the information contained within relevant risk assessments. The group will be looking across government to ensure preparedness is joined up and holistic. Work is already underway to bring in a supporting programme of risk and impact-based table top exercises, the need for which will be driven by identified planning gaps. The issues considered will be used to drive a process of continual improvement.
In accordance with the Scottish Government’s published guidance, the foundation of this planning is on cross-cutting, generic themes which could be applied across a range of crises, therefore should strengthen and improve our approach to crisis prevention and response.
The Scottish Government Resilience Room
Even with effective preparation, it is not always possible to prevent emergencies. In Scotland, government and categorised responders subscribe to the established emergency planning principle of subsidiarity, where decisions are taken at the lowest appropriate level relevant to the event or emergency, while coordination occurs at the highest necessary level. In line with that principle, there may be some incidents or emergencies which require central co-ordination. In those circumstances, the Scottish Government Resilience Room (SGORR) is the Scottish Government’s central co-ordination mechanism for responding to civil contingencies emergencies. It activates to facilitate the urgent co-ordination, support and strategic direction from or within the Scottish Government where required for an effective response to civil contingencies emergencies affecting Scotland.
If UK level arrangements are initiated, SGORR works with the Cabinet Office Briefing Room (COBR), the Scotland Office and other relevant departments in UK Government. SGORR will be the main point of contact between UK Government and Resilience Partnerships. The Scottish Government recognises that local decisions must be taken locally.
The precise role of SGORR will vary depending on the nature of the emergency. However, the role of the SGORR includes co-ordinating the work of the Scottish Government and its agencies, briefing Ministers and communications during emergencies and significant events.
SGORR has undergone an extensive programme of improvement to ensure that it can continue to facilitate an effective Scottish Government response to civil contingencies emergencies in a changing risk landscape when required, delivering its service in a professional, adaptive and sustainable manner. Improvements include:
- a new, single concept of operations (CONOPS) setting out the role of SGORR in the response to emergencies affecting Scotland to support clarity, coherence and effectiveness in the delivery of the function
- a revised training programme for all SGORR staff
- an increase in Scottish Government employees trained to work in SGORR and regular recruitment drives for further volunteers
- more regular participation in exercises (including Tier 1 exercise, Exercise Pegasus) to test response protocols and ensure SGORR staff regularly practise their skills