UK Government Decontamination Service
Encyclopedia
The UK Government Decontamination Service (sometimes written without the UK prefix or abbreviated to GDS) is an organisation within the UK Government that provides advice and guidance to help the UK
resist and recover from any deliberate or accidental release of chemical, biological, radiological or nuclear materials (CBRN
) or from major accidental releases of hazardous materials (HAZMAT
).
GDS was established as an executive agency
of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
(DEFRA) and since 1st April 2009 has been a constituent part of The Food and Environment Research Agency
, a newly formed executive agency
of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
(DEFRA). The first, and only, Chief Executive of the GDS agency was Robert Bettley-Smith FRICS
, appointed on the agency's creation in 2005.
While the agency has pointed out that it was not set up due to increased CBRN terrorism in particular, it accepts that the driving force behind the agency's creation was the increased threat the UK faced from terrorism
as a whole and the need to strengthen the level of the nation's preparedness across the board.
. Partners and stakeholders in the programme represent bodies throughout local and central government and the public and private sectors. The decision to form the agency was developed through the CBRN Resilience Programme.
Throughout 2003 and 2004, national guidance on the decontamination
of both people and the environment was published by DEFRA. In December 2003, a Government-sponsored report as to whether the UK needed a national organisation to help in the recovery phase of any accident identified that the need existed. Local authorities had already been responsible for the clean-up in the aftermath of such crises (this responsibility would be set out in the Civil Contingencies Act 2004
) and would remain so. The new organisation would exist to aid those efforts, not assume responsibility for them.
In March, 2004, the Government announced that it was actively considering setting up a UK-wide service to provide advice to those bodies undertaking decontamination and clean-up after a release, deliberate or accidental, of hazardous materials. In January 2005, the then Minister for the Environment and Agri-environment, Elliot Morley, MP
, announced that the Government had spent the last year working out the potential costs and benefits of such a service and now intended to set one up. On the 21st of July, 2005, the then Secretary of State, The Rt Hon Margaret Beckett, MP
gave a written statement to the House
, announcing the creation of the agency and the appointment of its Chief Executive. It came into existence on the 1st of October that year.
Although without any powers itself, the new agency would provide its assistance to the whole of the UK. In Wales, where CBRN resilience remained undevolved, the Welsh Assembly Government
was consulted and its support announced. In Scotland, where CBRN policy had been devolved, the Scottish Executive
was actively involved in the agency's establishment and provided £250,000 to its formation. Initial funding from other stakeholders included £950,000 from the agency's parent department, DEFRA, and £55,000 from the Northern Ireland Office
. DEFRA's contribution was part of £5.22m transferred from the Cabinet Office
to fund the research required to set the agency up in the first place.
GDS spent its first few months identifying where in the private sector there lay specialist expertise and experience on which to call in an emergency. Late in 2005, the agency held a stakeholder event where it publicised its 'open for business' status and the fact that it had developed a framework of suppliers of specialist knowledge and skills.
The agency regularly validate and test the contingency arrangements which are in place with local authorities. Through this work, they are able to act as the Government's advisor on the state of readiness of the country to face such accidents. They also regularly review gaps in the UK's national capability to respond to them.
The agency exists as a central portal for local authorities and central government, connecting those needing information with those organisations best able to provide it. In general, advice is given by specialist, third-party companies rather than the agency itself.
Despite its name, the GDS is keen to point out that, while recovery and re-occupation of buildings and environments after incidents is part of its responsibility, the more immediate concerns of human decontamination is the remit of the Department of Health
and the national health services.
GDS state that one reason they have been set up is that Government has recognised it would not be cost effective to have all local authorities research and maintain the level of expertise required to efficiently respond to a CBRN threat. They state this is also the reason why the service is UK-wide, rather than having the home countries
maintain separate services.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
resist and recover from any deliberate or accidental release of chemical, biological, radiological or nuclear materials (CBRN
CBRN
CBRN is an initialism for chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear. It is used to refer to situations in which any of these four hazards have presented themselves. The term CBRN is a replacement for the cold war term NBC , which had replaced the term ABC that was used in the fifties...
) or from major accidental releases of hazardous materials (HAZMAT
Hazmat
Hazmat, HazMat and similar terms can refer to:* Hazardous materials and items—see Dangerous goods** Hazchem—a system of hazardous chemical classification and firefighting modes** A hazmat suit is a type of protective clothing...
).
GDS was established as an executive agency
Executive agency
An executive agency, also known as a next-step agency, is a part of a government department that is treated as managerially and budgetarily separate in order to carry out some part of the executive functions of the United Kingdom government, Scottish Government, Welsh Assembly or Northern Ireland...
of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs is the government department responsible for environmental protection, food production and standards, agriculture, fisheries and rural communities in the United Kingdom...
(DEFRA) and since 1st April 2009 has been a constituent part of The Food and Environment Research Agency
Food and Environment Research Agency
The Food and Environment Research Agency, a new Defra executive agency was vested on 1 April 2009.-History:The agency was formed by bringing together the Central Science Laboratory at Sand Hutton, the Plant Health Division / Plant Health and Seeds Inspectorate in York, the Plant Variety Rights...
, a newly formed executive agency
Executive agency
An executive agency, also known as a next-step agency, is a part of a government department that is treated as managerially and budgetarily separate in order to carry out some part of the executive functions of the United Kingdom government, Scottish Government, Welsh Assembly or Northern Ireland...
of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs is the government department responsible for environmental protection, food production and standards, agriculture, fisheries and rural communities in the United Kingdom...
(DEFRA). The first, and only, Chief Executive of the GDS agency was Robert Bettley-Smith FRICS
Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors
The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors is an independent, representative professional body which regulates property professionals and surveyors in the United Kingdom and other sovereign nations....
, appointed on the agency's creation in 2005.
While the agency has pointed out that it was not set up due to increased CBRN terrorism in particular, it accepts that the driving force behind the agency's creation was the increased threat the UK faced from terrorism
Terrorism
Terrorism is the systematic use of terror, especially as a means of coercion. In the international community, however, terrorism has no universally agreed, legally binding, criminal law definition...
as a whole and the need to strengthen the level of the nation's preparedness across the board.
History
The CBRN Resilience Programme was established in October 2001, as part of the Government's Capability Programme, with the main aim of ensuring that, in the event of a terrorist attack, the response from both central and local government and the emergency services would be quick and effective enough to minimise the impact on people, property and the environment. The programme, as well as forums and sub-groups within it, is chaired by the Home OfficeHome Office
The Home Office is the United Kingdom government department responsible for immigration control, security, and order. As such it is responsible for the police, UK Border Agency, and the Security Service . It is also in charge of government policy on security-related issues such as drugs,...
. Partners and stakeholders in the programme represent bodies throughout local and central government and the public and private sectors. The decision to form the agency was developed through the CBRN Resilience Programme.
Throughout 2003 and 2004, national guidance on the decontamination
Decontamination
Decontamination is the process of cleansing the human body to remove contamination by hazardous materials including chemicals, radioactive substances, and infectious material...
of both people and the environment was published by DEFRA. In December 2003, a Government-sponsored report as to whether the UK needed a national organisation to help in the recovery phase of any accident identified that the need existed. Local authorities had already been responsible for the clean-up in the aftermath of such crises (this responsibility would be set out in the Civil Contingencies Act 2004
Civil Contingencies Act 2004
The Civil Contingencies Act 2004 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that establishes a coherent framework for emergency planning and response ranging from local to national level...
) and would remain so. The new organisation would exist to aid those efforts, not assume responsibility for them.
In March, 2004, the Government announced that it was actively considering setting up a UK-wide service to provide advice to those bodies undertaking decontamination and clean-up after a release, deliberate or accidental, of hazardous materials. In January 2005, the then Minister for the Environment and Agri-environment, Elliot Morley, MP
Elliot Morley
Elliot Anthony Morley is a former Labour Party politician, who was the Member of Parliament for Glanford and Scunthorpe from 1987 to 1997 and then Scunthorpe from 1997 to 2010. In 2009, he was accused by The Daily Telegraph of continuing to claim parliamentary expenses for a mortgage that had...
, announced that the Government had spent the last year working out the potential costs and benefits of such a service and now intended to set one up. On the 21st of July, 2005, the then Secretary of State, The Rt Hon Margaret Beckett, MP
Margaret Beckett
Margaret Mary Beckett is a British Labour Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament for Derby South since 1983, rising to become the Deputy Leader of the Labour Party under John Smith, from 18 July 1992 to 12 May 1994, and briefly serving as Leader of the Party following Smith's death...
gave a written statement to the House
British House of Commons
The House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which also comprises the Sovereign and the House of Lords . Both Commons and Lords meet in the Palace of Westminster. The Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 650 members , who are known as Members...
, announcing the creation of the agency and the appointment of its Chief Executive. It came into existence on the 1st of October that year.
Although without any powers itself, the new agency would provide its assistance to the whole of the UK. In Wales, where CBRN resilience remained undevolved, the Welsh Assembly Government
Welsh Assembly Government
The Welsh Government is the devolved government of Wales. It is accountable to the National Assembly for Wales, the legislature which represents the interests of the people of Wales and makes laws for Wales...
was consulted and its support announced. In Scotland, where CBRN policy had been devolved, the Scottish Executive
Scottish Executive
The Scottish Government is the executive arm of the devolved government of Scotland. It was established in 1999 as the Scottish Executive, from the extant Scottish Office, and the term Scottish Executive remains its legal name under the Scotland Act 1998...
was actively involved in the agency's establishment and provided £250,000 to its formation. Initial funding from other stakeholders included £950,000 from the agency's parent department, DEFRA, and £55,000 from the Northern Ireland Office
Northern Ireland Office
The Northern Ireland Office is a United Kingdom government department responsible for Northern Ireland affairs. The NIO is led by the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, and is based in Northern Ireland at Stormont House.-Role:...
. DEFRA's contribution was part of £5.22m transferred from the Cabinet Office
Cabinet Office
The Cabinet Office is a department of the Government of the United Kingdom responsible for supporting the Prime Minister and Cabinet of the United Kingdom....
to fund the research required to set the agency up in the first place.
GDS spent its first few months identifying where in the private sector there lay specialist expertise and experience on which to call in an emergency. Late in 2005, the agency held a stakeholder event where it publicised its 'open for business' status and the fact that it had developed a framework of suppliers of specialist knowledge and skills.
Role
The UK Government Decontamination Service's functions revolve around it ensuring that the country is prepared for CBRN and HAZMAT events and is able to cope efficiently during their aftermath. They do not take responsibility for clean-up or decontamination themselves, rather making sure that those with the responsibility (local authorities, emergency services, other government bodies) have access to the specialist knowledge, skills and equipment they may need to carry out such work. They assess the ability of such specialist private sector companies to carry out decontamination operations and are also available to co-ordinate all parties concerned in the event.The agency regularly validate and test the contingency arrangements which are in place with local authorities. Through this work, they are able to act as the Government's advisor on the state of readiness of the country to face such accidents. They also regularly review gaps in the UK's national capability to respond to them.
The agency exists as a central portal for local authorities and central government, connecting those needing information with those organisations best able to provide it. In general, advice is given by specialist, third-party companies rather than the agency itself.
Despite its name, the GDS is keen to point out that, while recovery and re-occupation of buildings and environments after incidents is part of its responsibility, the more immediate concerns of human decontamination is the remit of the Department of Health
Department of Health (United Kingdom)
The Department of Health is a department of the United Kingdom government with responsibility for government policy for health and social care matters and for the National Health Service in England along with a few elements of the same matters which are not otherwise devolved to the Scottish,...
and the national health services.
GDS state that one reason they have been set up is that Government has recognised it would not be cost effective to have all local authorities research and maintain the level of expertise required to efficiently respond to a CBRN threat. They state this is also the reason why the service is UK-wide, rather than having the home countries
Home Nations
Home Nations is a collective term with one of two meanings depending on the context. Politically, it means the nations of the constituent countries of the United Kingdom...
maintain separate services.
See also
- Civil Contingencies CommitteeCivil Contingencies CommitteeThe Civil Contingencies Committee is a British cabinet committee chaired by the Home Secretary. It is intended to deal with major crises such as terrorism or natural disasters...
- List of terrorist incidents in the United Kingdom
- Mass decontaminationMass decontaminationMass decontamination is the decontamination of large numbers of people, in the event of industrial, accidental, or intentional contamination by toxic, infective, caustic, polluted, or otherwise unhealthful or damaging substances....