British government ministers are to be given major new powers to deal with terrorist attacks and other civil emergencies under new legislation published today.
The Civil Contingencies Bill, drawn up in response to the September 11 attacks on the USA, effectively gives ministers the power to by-pass the London Parliament and issue urgent orders in the event of an emergency.
These could include measures to bar public access to sensitive sites, evacuate danger areas, deploy troops, requisition property, ban public gatherings or set up a special court to deal with a disaster.
Civil liberties campaigners welcomed the Government's decision to back down on key details of the Bill after they warned it was open to abuse.
Ministers will not be allowed to declare a state of emergency because of threats to the "political, administrative or economic stability" of the country, something proposed in the Bill's initial draft last June.
A joint committee of MPs and peers set up to scrutinise the Bill warned last year that this would allow a future government to invoke emergency powers simply to protect its own existence.
An emergency is now defined more tightly as "an event or situation which threatens serious damage to human welfare, the environment or the security of the United Kingdom or a place in the United Kingdom".
PA