I thought it would be interesting to start a debate on this issue.
Under the UK's Freedom of Information Act, which came into force in 2005,
reasons for exempting official information from the act's requirements include
safeguarding national security, but it is not clear how far this extends to
emergency planning in general. In the London Borough of Camden, though,
disaster response plans are kept secret 'as the release of these could
endanger public safety'.
There are lots of ethical, legal and institutional questions to be debated about
transparency and secrecy in emergency planning - it's not a simple issue. It
would be interesting to hear the views and experiences of other members of
the group.
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