Lesson 5 – What is the role of government in emergencies?

Taking a closer look at the structures in place to support Scotland and the UK during an emergency response.

How do Scottish and UK Government agencies and departments work with resilience partners during an emergency situation?

Scottish Government response

The Scottish Government Response Room (SGORR) is the Scottish Government's central co‑ordination mechanism for responding to civil contingencies emergencies. SGORR provides Scottish Ministers and senior officials with situational awareness, enabling them to provide scrutiny and make informed strategic decisions.

It facilitates the co‑ordination of work across government, ensuring a joined‑up approach.

It supports effective liaison and co‑ordination with responders at all levels in Scotland, the UK Government and all other devolved administrations. SGORR meetings take place either at officials level or Ministerial level.

Ministerial SGORR meetings are chaired by the First Minister or the Cabinet Secretary for Justice and Home Affairs.

UK Government response

If an emergency involves a reserved matter or affects the whole of the UK, COBR (the Cabinet Office Briefing Room) may be activated. COBR brings together Ministers and senior officials from relevant Devolved Administrations, departments and agencies to make decisions on an emergency response.

External representatives and experts are invited to attend COBR meetings as appropriate.

Resilience decisions

Resilience decisions should be taken at the most local level possible before being escalated. However, co‑operation and sharing information remains key, meaning that the most strategic levels remain closely informed about decisions made.