Civil Contingency Secretariat

Despite its rather dramatic name, COBRA simply stands for Cabinet Office Briefing Room A. COBRA is convened in response to significant threats that cross departmental borders within government. It is chaired by a senior minister and includes representatives of MB, the police, the civil contingencies secretariat and relevant ministers. COBRA was convened following September 11th, 2001, and other major terrorist incidents, but its remit also extends to such events as the firemen s strike and the fuel strikes of 2000. The COBRA... 

The management of terrorist incidents is led by the Home Secretary, who is responsible for the Government s coimter-terrorism response. The Home Office is the lead government agency. The Home Office is responsible for the management of the acute phase of an incident if it is necessary to manage the consequences of an incident, this is the responsibility of the Civil Contingency Secretariat. 

The Home Office is the lead agency in the event of terrorist incidents in the UK, including nuclear incidents. Any serious incident would be coordinated by the Cabinet Office Briefing Room (COBRA), usually chaired by the Home Secretary, with the Civil Contingencies Secretariat. 

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