I propose to take Questions Nos. 186, 190 and 215 together.
In the light of events of 11 September 2001, the Government established a task force on emergency planning under the chairmanship of my colleague, the Minister for Defence, which meets on a regular basis to ensure that preparations are in place for a co-ordinated response to possible nuclear, chemical or biological threats. In addition, the Office of Emergency Planning has been established in the Department of Defence to take a lead role in emergency planning to meet the new threat from international terrorism and from any escalation in international terrorism, including co-ordination of the responses by the various agencies involved. This office is also exercising an oversight role in relation to peacetime planning in order to ensure the best possible use of resources and compatibility between different planning requirements now in place. The existing lead roles of Departments in respect of emergency planning for their own areas of responsibility remain in place.
Major emergency planning in Ireland, which involves the broadest range of agencies, is based on a Government framework for a co-ordinated response of the front line agencies, that is, local authorities, including fire, the Garda, health services and also other agencies such as utilities and the voluntary sector who may be called on to assist. Major emergency plans are in place in all local authority areas and may be activated by the local authority, Garda or health service. It is a matter for the individual authorities to update their plans regularly in the light of relevant developments, changes in contact details for agencies and personnel, etc. and these plans are exercised, including inter agency exercises, periodically. I am satisfied that this emergency planning framework is effective.