Blair forms crisis task force

Handling of foot-and-mouth has been criticised

Prime Minister Tony Blair has established a powerful new crisis management unit to deal with national emergencies.

Mr Blair is said to have been concerned at the government's response to crises like the foot-and-mouth outbreak, last year's flooding and the fuel duty protests.

The new civil contingencies secretariat is intended to give an early warning of impending problems.

Based in the Cabinet Office, it will report to the prime minister through the cabinet secretary, Sir Richard Wilson.

'Horizon scanning'

The new unit is designed to "improve the resilience" of government to potential crises, said a spokesman for the Cabinet Office.

It will take over responsibility for emergency planning from the Home Office, from which 75 staff have transferred to the Cabinet Office, with more to be recruited from elsewhere.

Another function of the unit will be "horizon scanning", to give an early warning of potential crises.

Prescott will chair a new over-arching committee

The unit will work with every Whitehall department to identify areas of potential concern and draw up strategies for dealing with any crisis that may arise.

It will also help to reinforce individual departments' performance, and co-ordinate communications across government during crises.

Mike Granatt, the former director of the Government Information and Communication Service, will lead the new unit.

A Cabinet Office spokeswoman said: "The prime minister decided to establish the civil contingencies secretariat to improve the ability of the government to deal with crises.

"It will improve the resilience of government to potential and actual crises."

More Prescott power

In a separate shake-up in government administration, Tony Blair has also set up a new "over-arching" Domestic Affairs Committee of ministers.

That will be chaired by John Prescott as part of "his enhanced role as Deputy Prime Minister", Mr Blair's official spokesman told reporters on Tuesday.

The spokesman said the committee "would look at policy development across the piece" and would be more wide ranging than its predecessor, the Home Affairs Committee.

Some commentators have suggested the move is an attempt to create an alternative power base to Chancellor Gordon Brown.

But Downing Street denied there would be any conflict between the new committee and the Committee on Public Services and Public Expenditure (PSX), on which Mr Prescott also sits and which is chaired by Mr Brown.