It is disgraceful that our council did not make any contingency plans for a catch-up service during this time.

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Investigators and Boeing have provided no guidance on when the 787 might be cleared to re-enter service, and some carriers have contingency plans for an extended grounding of the plane.

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Mr McPoland said using the ambulance service in Scotland has been a long established contingency plan.

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"Fidelity has business contingency plans in place that enable us to continue to service our customers, " the spokesman said in a statement.

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Responding to the Contingency Planning Team Report by the regulator Monitor, it said the proposed downgrading of service provision is "dramatic".

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The Yorkshire Ambulance Service NHS Trust said "the vast majority" of staff had worked normally and contingency plans had proved effective.

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