Civil Contingencies
The Government Chief Scientific Adviser provides advice to Ministers on scientific aspects of contingency planning
Contingency planning includes monitoring and assessing threats/hazards (e.g. terrorism, pandemic disease), planning to mitigate the risk, carrying out research and evaluation to ensure that the plans are suitably robust, and exercising and training to ensure implementation of the plans.
The work of the GCSA and GO-Science is to ensure that all these stages are underpinned across Government by strong science - whether research or advice.
GO-Science is currently working with other Government departments on a number of disaster planning issues. One current issue is the threat posed by avian flu and human pandemic flu - for more information please see the links in the right hand column of this page.
GO-Science (with the help of the Science Media Centre) published a swine flu glossary (PDF, 152 Kb) in Sept 2009. This was developed to inform and provide a useful reference document for journalists and editors reporting on the science of the swine flu pandemic.
On counter terrorism, GO-Science is working with departments to ensure Government has the science & technology to assist in these activities.
