CCA has a broad scope to act
DID you know that the States Civil Contingencies Authority isn’t just there for the nasty emergencies in life, like a global pandemic? In fact, it’s keeping its eye across potential risks and threats all the time.
‘The CCA regularly monitors these but would only step in if the strict legal criteria of an emergency or preventing one is met,’ it told us this week.
Further scrutiny of the Civil Contingencies (Bailiwick of Guernsey) Law, 2012, reveals the scope and the permanent interest of the CCA in emergency planning, and the breadth of what may be constituted as an emergency.
This ranges from ‘serious damage to human welfare or the environment in the Bailiwick’, war, terrorism, or loss of life, to property damage, disruption of food or energy supply chains, or transport facilities.
The CCA is also able to act if it has ‘reasonable grounds to believe’ that there is a significant risk that an emergency will occur. In this case, the CCA concluded that purchasing this vessel ‘satisfied the need to act to prevent a potential emergency occurring’, in accordance with the law.
To date, nobody is suggesting that the CCA’s powers have been overused. Three incidents in 15 years?
But, legal advice notwithstanding, we can see the potential for significant overreach, beyond the day-to-day of government activity.