26 FEBRUARY 1972, Page 7

Emergency continues

One of the lessons of the miners' strike was that the Emergency Committee of the Cabinet did not function very well — partly because none of its members were certain about their specific responsibility.

• Nonetheless, after the shattering events of the last week or so, the government feels itself to be in a state of emergency; and so the Emergency Committee is to be kept in regular session in the future, thus exercising a supervisory function over and above Sir Philip Allen's Civil Service committee.

In future, I understand that Mr Secretary of State Davies will attend most regularly and punctiliously.