asked the Minister for Defence if he will state what progress is being made in the matter of air raid precautions against atomic warfare.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Atomic Warfare Precautions.
Civil defence officers and civil defence instructors have been trained at the Department's Civil Defence School for every local authority. The training covers the measures which can be taken to mitigate the effects of atom bombs. In addition, contacts are maintained with other countries dealing with this problem.
Local authorities have completed a survey of their areas for civil defence planning purposes. The plans contemplate the training of local nuclei to deal with expansion in the event of an emergency. In addition to such measures as may be practicable for the local authorities to take to protect members of the public from the effects of air raids of various types, plans envisage the instruction of members of the public in measures which they themselves can take for the protection of themselves and their families.
Can the Minister indicate when it is hoped that these preparations will go beyond the planning stage and that there will be actual activity in the training of people other than those already trained by the Department of Defence in their school?
That is a rather difficult question to answer. We areat the present moment, as I have indicated in the course of my reply, training specialists sent forward by the local authorities. It will be their duty to impart the training which they have received to others in their several areas.
I understood from the Minister that that training had been completed some time ago.
No. It is still continuing.
The Minister told us in the House on a previous occasion that the official training of selected officers from the local authorities had, in fact, been completed. It is not the Minister that I am blaming at the moment but I am wondering has there been any continuity of effort from the training given by the Department of Defence to these specialists. Has anything been done by his Department in that regard?
I do not think there has, but I could not be certain about that. I do not know what the local authorities may be doing in their various areas.