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Dáil Éireann debate -
Thursday, 29 Nov 2012

Vol. 784 No. 4

Civil Defence Bill 2012 [Seanad]: Second Stage

I move: "That the Bill be now read a Second Time."

I am pleased to present this important legislation to the House. The Civil Defence Bill 2012 provides for the repeal of the Civil Defence Act 2002, the dissolution of the Civil Defence board and the transfer of its functions and other responsibilities back to the Department of Defence. The purpose of the Bill is to bring the management, development and administration of the Civil Defence at national level back into the Department of Defence, where it resided when the organisation was founded in 1950. In the context of current Government policy on bringing the functions of many State agencies back to their parent Departments, it has been decided that the functions of the board should return to the Department of Defence and specifically to a branch within that Department.

The board was established following the passage of the Civil Defence Act in 2002, the stated purpose of which was to update Civil Defence legislation generally and to establish a board to oversee and manage the future development of civil defence at national level. On a day-to-day basis the 2002 Act did not make any fundamental changes to the governing structures. Policy formulation remained with the Minister for Defence and the key relationship for effective civil defence operations between local authorities and the organisation at national level was not altered in any way.

I wish to put on record for the avoidance of doubt that the Bill will not alter the fundamental structures that have served the Civil Defence well over many years and supported the voluntary ethos that has been the hallmark of the organisation since its foundation.

I take the opportunity to express my sincere gratitude and that of the Minister for Defence, Deputy Alan Shatter, to each and every person who gave of his or her time to serve with distinction on the Civil Defence board and its statutory committees. I commend the board and its committees for their contributions to the ongoing development of Civil Defence in the past nine years in bringing forward plans and proposals which have driven the evolution of the organisation in that period. The day-to-day role of Civil Defence is to provide a range of supports for the front-line emergency services and community supports at local level. The training programmes and strategic development plans developed by the board in recent years have very much embraced that support role to front-line services across a range of activities. The benefits of these policies were very clear to communities all across the country during the severe weather in recent years in the comprehensive and sustained nature of the response from Civil Defence acting in support of all front-line services. The modern Civil Defence organisation, trained and equipped to the highest standards, is capable of assisting whichever of the front-line emergency services calls on it for assistance, as we recently witnessed when Wexford Civil Defence carried out a extensive search of Wexford Harbour for a missing person on Sunday, 18 November, with the support of other boats crews from the region. I commend Civil Defence for its work in that search.

I recognise and support all of the volunteers in their continued efforts to support local communities. The Bill will in no way diminish these efforts. In the future, as part of the Department of Defence, Civil Defence at national level will be fully integrated with the planning and implementation of our response capability for major emergencies. This will be achieved by working through the Office of Emergency Planning and the Defence Forces. It will be able to devote all of its energies to the core business of Civil Defence, namely, training volunteers to the highest professional health and safety standards. It will no longer have to devote valuable resources to complying with its own governance requirements. In the current economic climate I am delighted to say we have succeeded in maintaining the current level of funding for Civil Defence at €5.585 million per annum in the face of reduced funding to almost all other State bodies. It is our intention to maintain that level of funding in so far as it is possible to do so.

As I said during the recent debate on the Bill in the Seanad, it is worth repeating for the avoidance of doubt that the future development of Civil Defence will remain of paramount importance to me, the Minister and the Government. With that development in mind, a Civil Defence forum will be established after the Bill is enacted, comprising the main players in Civil Defence and members from the wider emergency response community. Central to these deliberations will be the critical involvement of representatives of the Civil Defence officers and volunteers based in each local authority area. The purpose of the forum will be to assist the Civil Defence branch of the Department to consider the major issues affecting or likely to affect its development.

I now turn to the main provisions of the Bill. Sections 2 and 3 deal with the dissolution of the Civil Defence board, the date of which will be set by order. Sections 4 to and 6, inclusive, will ensure the transfer of land, property, rights and liabilities, leases and licenses from the board back to Minister will take place. Section 7 ensures any claim in respect of loss or injury arising before dissolution will lie against the Minister, not the board. Furthermore, legal proceedings pending to which the board is a party will continue with the substitution of the Minister in the proceedings.

Section 8 makes provisions for functions commenced but not completed by the board before its dissolution. All functions partially completed will be carried on by the Minister. All moneys, stocks, shares and securities registered to the board prior to the dissolution date will be transferred to the Minister. The income of the board was derived from the grant-in-aid from the Defence Vote and no shares or securities were registered to the board.

Section 9 provides that the former director general of the board will submit, within six months of dissolution, the final accounts of the board to the Comptroller and Auditor General for audit. Furthermore, he must also submit to the Minister the final annual report of the board within nine months. The Minister must, as soon as practicable thereafter, lay it before the Houses of the Oireachtas. The transfer of staff and the director general back from the board to the Department of Defence is dealt with in section 10, while section 11 ensures any contract or agreement in force before dissolution day between the board and any other person or body shall continue in force in the name of the Minister.

Section 12 deals with Civil Defence plans and sets out the requirement for local authorities to submit a plan within 12 months of dissolution to the Minister. The components of the plan are clearly set out for the authorities, as well as a requirement for them to review the plan within three years.

Section 13 amends section 221 of the Local Government Act 2001 to ensure annual reports prepared by local authorities will make suitable reference to the performance of their functions relating to civil defence, including the expenditure incurred by them in carrying out these functions. Section 14 continues the Department of Defence's grant of funds provided by the Oireachtas for the local authorities for the purpose of defraying expenditure incurred by the authorities in carrying out civil defence functions.

The recruitment of Civil Defence members by local authorities is dealt with in section 15, while the requirement for and the details to be contained within the Civil Defence members' register are outlined in section 16. Section 17 repeals the 2002 Civil Defence Act, while section 18 deals with the Short Title, collective citation and commencement.

This legislation will provide Civil Defence with the ideal platform to strengthen its capacity to continue to develop as a first class second-line emergency response service, while retaining its voluntary ethos and continuing with its community support activities. I am pleased to submit the legislation for the consideration of the House and look forward to hearing the views and contributions of Deputies in their deliberations and reflections on the Bill which I commend to the House.

I welcome the opportunity to participate in this debate and pay tribute to Deputy Stanton who in October provided Members with an opportunity to hear directly from the chairman of the Civil Defence board at a meeting of the Joint Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality, at which there was a useful exchange of views. I point out to the Chief Whip that it is useful that legislation is ventilated at committees in advance of being taken in the House. This is a positive development.

I am conscious in taking this legislation that the Minister of State is sitting in the same seat occupied in 2002 by my late colleague and friend, Séamus Brennan, when the 2002 Act was first brought forward. At the time it seemed like sensible legislation which sought to empower and introduce a dynamic to Civil Defence that he considered at the time might best be achieved by providing for a degree of autonomy for the body. If we look back at what happened in the intervening years, we will see that far from being autonomous, it became semi-detached from the Department of Defence. We are now operating in a completely changed economic climate. We are going through a period of retrenchment and looking at a plethora of agencies in existence. For that reason, Fianna Fáil is prepared to support the proposal to bring the agency back within the remit of the Department. However, we have a number of questions to which we would like answers. In general, however, we support the initiative.

On a broader level, we have some concerns about the return of Civil Defence to the Department.

This is happening at a time of radical change in that Department. The number of Army battalions has been reduced from three to two and there is a particularly low level of morale within the Defence Forces. It is clear from the response to recent parliamentary questions that there is a disproportionate level of promotional opportunities for people in the Defence Forces in the NCO ranks. We are living through a period where the Reserve Defence Forces consider their position is under threat.

In regard to the initial parent body, they are not returning to a stage where all the players are happy and delighted with what is happening. When the late Séamus Brennan introduced the legislation in 2002, its purpose was two-fold, to update the Civil Defence legislation generally because up to then Civil Defence operated under the Air Raid Precautions Acts 1939 and 1946 and a number of emergency powers. It also provided a necessary legislative framework for the development of the Civil Defence organisation which was an important element of the chapter on Civil Defence contained in the Government's White Paper of 2000 on defence. The Bill provided for the establishment of a Civil Defence board to oversee, supervise and co-ordinate the operation and development of Civil Defence at national level in co-operation with and in support of all the emergency services, such as the Garda, the fire service, the ambulance service and the Coast Guard. The board was also given the role of advising the Minister on policy issues and to carry out all of the non-policy roles relating to Civil Defence that had up to then been carried out by the Civil Defence branch of the Department of Defence. There were approximately 6,000 volunteer members in the organisation in 2002.

Following the end of the Cold War, the principal focus of Civil Defence in the 1990s changed to one of community support and emergency response. This was highlighted with the launch in 1992 of the development programme, Towards 2000, which was designed to put in place the structures to develop the skills that would enable the organisation to face the future challenges. The aim of the programme was to develop Civil Defence as a top class second line emergency service within the local community. From 1992 to 2002 the organisation learned to operate in close support of the front-line emergency services and so integrated in a meaningful way into the day to day emergency planning structures. This has allowed the Civil Defence organisation to focus on serving the needs of local communities.

The Minister mentioned the value we all place on the role of the Civil Defence. Very often we learn about that through our direct experiences in our local communities where our neighbours, friends and colleagues engage actively with Civil Defence. We see the valuable role they play not only in times of crises - obviously we appreciate what it does at such times - but during periods of inclement weather and during searches for missing persons. Much positive comment has been made of its role in the aftermath of the tragedy of the Tit Bonhomme. We realise that the members of Civil Defence are engaged in an activity that is of enormous value to the local community. They enrich the lives of people in their community and contribute to its overall well being. It behoves us to pay tribute to those people throughout the length and breadth of the country who play an active role in the organisation. If I read the statistics correctly there are in excess 6,000 members on its books but it has 4,500 active members.

Under the legislative proposals before the House, I suggest we look at innovative ways whereby Civil Defence could be encouraged and facilitated and given the necessary resources to continue to develop the valuable role it plays in local communities. I say that against the background of being conscious of huge numbers of people in our communities who are no longer involved in gainful employment and who are looking for ways and means through which they can contribute to the well-being of the community in which they live and through which they can find meaning for their lives and a reason to get up in the morning. In particular, there is merit in an idea put forward by one of the Government backbenchers for the development of Civil Defence to the point where it could be facilitated with a cadet corps, where young people could get involved at local level and avail of the high quality training programmes being made available by Civil Defence. The money spent in expanding the organisation would be well spent and would ultimately be cost neutral in terms of the benefits that would accrue to communities.

It would be remiss of me coming from Kildare not to acknowledge what I have seen in my county in terms of the work of people from the age of 18 to 80 years who turn out time and again in support of various crises and various events in the constituency. I learned much of what I know about Civil Defence from a great Offaly man, an all-Ireland medal winner, the late Comt. Larry Coughlan who, while a Civil Defence officer in Kildare, did enormous work to develop and promote an understanding of the organisation and to increase its membership there. That role is continuing under the leadership of Patricia McNeela as it continues in many counties across the country.

There are a number of areas of concern. Under the provisions of the 2002 Act, the new Civil Defence board was empowered to initiate and foster contacts with other Departments and State authorities, external educational and research institutions both national and international, as well as utilising its own resources to enable it to develop optimum standards for the training of volunteers. We need to be assured in the context of these changes that this capacity will not be curtailed by the board's return to the Department of Defence. It is estimated that enacting the legislation will save €60,000 per year. In the overall context that is not a significant amount but will the Minister give an indication of the cost of the changes, that is, the move from the board system to the return to the Department of Defence?

That the Civil Defence works closely with local authorities means that its response can be immediate and locally focused. That is a great strength of the organisation. We saw it in north County Kildare recently and in other parts of the country where missing person situations gave rise to an immediate positive response from Civil Defence. The public need to be assured that the nature of that response can continue to be focused on the local need and as rapid as in the past.

When introducing the 2002 legislation, the late Séamus Brennan said it was vital for the Department charged with responsibility for co-ordinating the emergency plans of local authorities and with the supervisory and co-ordinating role in relation to all local authority activities to be represented on the new board.

Consequently, the Bill provides for a representative from the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government with expertise in emergency planning to be a member of the board. This is an area in which we might consider possible amendments. I am concerned that the circuit of management is moving away from the local authority back to the Department of Defence. One wonders whether the lines of communication can be as smooth and as effective as they should be. What arrangements are being made to maintain strong expertise in emergency planning in Civil Defence?

The then Minister, Mr. Brennan, said: "It is important in terms of national emergency planning that the Radiological Protection Institute of Ireland be represented on the new board." Will the Minister of State be able to give effect to this and what will be the nature of the relationship between the Radiological Protection Institute of Ireland and the Department of Defence? Mr. Brennan continued:

With the many threats to our environment now evident, it is important that whatever first line service is charged with combating the particular threat can call on the resources of Civil Defence to support it in its endeavours. Having an EPA representative on the board will be of great assistance in developing strategies to offer support in such circumstances.

Again, no more than with the Radiological Protection Institute of Ireland, having ready lines of access, given the need for ongoing communication between the agencies, seems to be essential. I am sure the Minister of State will be able to give us some indication of what his views are in that regard.

Current arrangements provide for the Civil Defence Officers Association, CDOA, to be represented on the board and contribute to its management. How does the Government propose to ensure the voice of volunteers is heard in the proposed new arrangement? The 2002 Act sought to strengthen and maintain the voluntary ethos of Civil Defence and ensure the voice of the volunteer would be clearly heard on the management board, something we hope will continue.

At the recent Oireachtas committee meeting with the chairman of the board it was mentioned a forum might be established which would liaise with and consult interested parties from outside the Department of Defence. I would like to think we could go a little further than suggesting the establishment of a forum and make actual provision to ensure a forum is brought into existence. Such a forum need not cost any money and we would not have to pay anyone to serve on it, but it could have a very useful role to play in the public interest.

A further question arises. Is it in the Department of Defence that this body should find its new home or, to put it another way, is it the place to which it should return? One is conscious that it is in continuous engagement with the local authorities and, through them, the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government. In the consideration given to the legislation which, as I said, we are prepared to support, was any thought given to whether the Department of Defence was, in fact, the most appropriate location for management of Civil Defence? Should we be looking at the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government as the more likely home for such a body, not least given the critical role it will play in national emergency planning? As the debate progresses, I am sure we will have the opportunity to tease out matters further.

I acknowledge the role played by the organisation and the value of the contribution volunteers make. We hear a lot of talk about voluntarism. If there are people who want to do something to serve their communities, they could avail of the opportunity to go to the local Civil Defence officer, look at the training programmes available and consider how they might become involved. I make one final plea to the Minister of State to ensure resources are made available in order that those members of the public who wish to become involved in what is a valuable and productive endeavour, one that produces real and potential local heroes, can do so. Civil Defence should have the opportunity to recruit as many as possible of these people who are enthusiastic about society and their local community. I commend the Bill to the House.

While Sinn Féin is not opposed to allowing the Civil Defence Bill 2012 to proceed to Committee Stage, it has some concerns about the impact the Bill will have on the functioning and management of Civil Defence. The Civil Defence board, as constituted, represents a broad balance of interests, from the Environmental Protection Agency to the Garda, the Radiological Protection Institute of Ireland and the emergency services. There should be no doubt about the value of their input into how Civil Defence functions and, whatever changes are made to the body in this or other legislation, a mechanism must be included to ensure it can draw on the valuable expertise and opinions of these other groups.

If the Bill is passed in its current form and the property and assets are transferred back to the Department of Defence, the result will be a mere €60,000 in savings. This is a very tiny amount in budgetary terms but not to be sniffed at. An extra €60,000 allocated by the Department of Justice and Equality to a women's refuge would make all the difference in terms of how it could provide a service for vulnerable women and child victims of domestic violence. The point is that there is no value in proceeding with legislation on the basis that it will save €60,000 if the lack of expertise on the previous board becomes an issue. If a cost-benefit analysis of the impact of this lack of expertise demonstrates that it will cost more in the long term, obviously, it will not be worth continuing. On that basis, Sinn Féin is examining the legislation to ensure expertise is not lost in the restructuring of the Civil Defence board.

I take the opportunity to commend the work of Civil Defence - the ordinary people across Ireland who do extraordinary things acting in a voluntary capacity as members of communities. I saw this myself in my own home county of Donegal during the spell of severe weather in late 2010-early 2011 when we had snow and freezing cold weather conditions for a sustained period of two months. Civil Defence was deployed to assist the emergency services in keeping everything going. Its members are trained to professional standards and can be called upon at any time to volunteer in emergencies. They do great work and no change should be made that will have a negative impact on their ability to do it. We must maintain the resources and supports available to them.

We have a further concern that the parameters for funding are being changed. What was a responsibility of the local authorities is being transferred to within the Minister's discretion and funding could be cut. I should say this was a responsibility of the Civil Defence board in how it allocated moneys to local authorities, for which there are clear parameters and criteria in place. This will now be done at the Minister's discretion and the fear is that, in the context of ongoing cuts in local authorities, they may not be allocated the necessary resources to support Civil Defence activities in their respective areas. We must receive assurances from the Minister that funding will be maintained for Civil Defence training programmes and activities, as appropriate.

I am also conscious that, while Civil Defence acts in support of the Defence Forces and the emergency services in dealing with the effects of flooding and heavy snowfalls, the Government is engaging in a serious programme of cutbacks within the Defence Forces.

That in itself will lead to its own problems, but we must not allow a situation to develop where the Civil Defence ends up being the fall-back plan when it comes to emergency service provision because the Government has hammered away at it with its cutbacks agenda.

As I said to Minister about the Reserve Defence Forces and the changes in that regard, a mistake was made in not giving adequate time to the representative association to respond and make an input before the so-called value for money report was agreed and published. I do not doubt the Minister of State has the same value and respect for the Reserve Defence Forces and the Civil Defence as I have. It is not about that; it is about involving those affected in the change and the decision-making process. It is clear from the feedback we are getting from the Reserve Defence Forces that they are annoyed about that. I call on the Minister of State to involve the Civil Defence members’ representative association and to invite suggested amendments or ideas from it on the Bill as it moves through Committee Stage. I will do that, but I urge the Minister of State to do the same to ensure that we protect the integrity of everything that has happened to date. We must continue to resource the Civil Defence and give its members the necessary training because they are very proud of what they do. We must continue to facilitate active citizenship. The Minister of State and I both know members of the Civil Defence. They are wonderful people who have a sense of community commitment. They want to do more than the average citizen in terms of contributing and being a backup to the Permanent Defence Force and the emergency services.

The key issues are to ensure that the balance of skills currently available to the Civil Defence Board is maintained in the new arrangements, and that there is an advisory stakeholder role in the future management of the service by the Department. Local authorities must continue to be resourced by the Minister. I ask the Minister of State to give an assurance that will be the case and that the Civil Defence will have what it requires to support its activities. Participation in the Reserve Defence Forces and the Civil Defence are in the main voluntary contributions to community and society by some of our finest citizens. We must show in actions as well as words that we value the contribution and partnership they offer and that we will continue to resource them properly.

I wish to share time with Deputy Healy Rae.

I welcome the opportunity to speak on the Civil Defence Bill 2012. The Bill seeks to repeal the Civil Defence Board Act 2002, dissolve the Civil Defence board and transfer the functions and responsibilities of the board back to the Department of Defence.

Civil defence is important for the country, in particular for local communities. The origins of civil defence go back a long way. Much of the legal basis for the Civil Defence service is founded on the Air-Raid Precautions Acts 1939-46. The legislation, together with the Local Government Acts 1941-76 continues to form the main legal basis for the Civil Defence.

The precursor organisation to the Civil Defence was the air raid protection organisation, which obviously dated to the Second World War and had a particular responsibility in those times. Today’s service has developed and grown and is now an experienced, active and efficient emergency response organisation supporting front-line emergency organisations and local communities. The Civil Defence organisation itself was founded in 1950 and now has approximately 6,400 volunteers, approximately 4,500 of whom are active on a regular basis. It provides a professional support to the front-line emergency services and support to local communities. Some of the activities in which they are involved include the support of communities in the event of severe weather conditions such as flooding, snowfalls and various emergencies, in addition to the organisation and stewarding of public events. The Minister of State referred to a search for a missing person in Wexford. I was involved with the Civil Defence in a search for a missing person in the Clonmel area recently. The Civil Defence provides a range of local services on a voluntary basis.

It would be remiss of us if we did not extend our thanks and appreciation to the organisation and the individual members and volunteers for the wonderful work they do on a regular basis in all of our communities. The fact that it is a volunteer organisation is something that is part of the Irish ethos. I refer to the old saying: Ar scáth a chéile a mhaireann na daoine. That is the ethos of Civil Defence and the entire volunteer structure in this country. In the past two and a half years Volunteer Ireland and local volunteer centres have registered more than 34,000 volunteers and 4,173 volunteer organisations who have contributed in excess of 1 million hours of their time to local communities.

My first contact with Civil Defence came when I was a young clerical officer in South Tipperary County Council. My staff officer at the time was a man called Eddie Bergin, who was also the Civil Defence officer for the county. He did tremendous work and put the organisation on a sound footing, not just during his tenure but for the future. He was followed by other committed individuals such as Sean O’Dwyer and Eddie Cooney. The local Civil Defence officer in south Tipperary today is Dolores Fahey and she does tremendous work in the county.

I hope the Minister of State can assure us that the changes being made in the Bill will not in any way impact negatively on the work of the Civil Defence in communities. I welcome what the Minister of State outlined in his speech. “I wish to put on record for the avoidance of doubt that the Bill will not alter the fundamental structures that have served the Civil Defence well over many years and supported the voluntary ethos that has been the hallmark of the organisation since its foundation.” I take the Minister of State at his word and hope that also means the organisation will be properly resourced and funded in the future. Civil Defence has done considerable work in communities and deserves the support of all Members. I hope that the views of those involved in the Civil Defence Officers Association and volunteers on the Bill will be taken into account. I hope also that the forum to which the Minister of State referred, which will be set up when the Bill is passed, will be put on a statutory footing in order that all stakeholders will have a voice and will be heard on matters concerning the organisation and Civil Defence activities in the future.

The core issue of members' involvement and the future involvement of the forum or any other structure is vitally important.

I refer to the situation in south Tipperary. The Minister recently indicated that moneys would be available and also that he supported the building of a Garda station in Kickham Barracks in Clonmel. I welcome that commitment and hope moneys will be provided in the budget to progress it. Given that the functions of the Civil Defence board are now returning to his Department, will the Minister consider locating the organisation in that complex? It would be an excellent centre, not just for Civil Defence and the Garda Síochána, but also for all emergency organisations. I know Civil Defence would wish to be involved, as it hopes to be located on the Kickham Barracks site. I ask the Minister to look at this suggestion to see if it would be feasible.

I look forward to the Bill progressing through the House, with particular regard to the forum and the involvement of stakeholders, and hope there will be a statutory framework through which their views can be sought and given.

I thank Deputy Seamus Healy and the Technical Group for allowing me to share time.

The Bill provides for the repeal of the Civil Defence Act 2002, the dissolution of the Civil Defence board and the transfer of its functions and other responsibilities back to the Department of Defence. Its purpose is to bring responsibility for the management, development and administration of Civil Defence at national level back into the Department where it lay at the time the organisation was founded in the 1950s. It was designed to undertake very important activities and take measures to defend persons and property against all eventualities, including radioactive fall-out or biological or chemical warfare attacks on the State. I have no great difficulty with the purpose of the Bill and commend the great work done by the Civil Defence board and its members during the years. The board and its committees have overseen the development of Civil Defence at a national level.

Coincidentally, this week saw the publication by the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government of an expert report which stated a radioactive leak at the Sellafield nuclear plant would not pose serious health concerns in this country. That is hard to believe. The Sellafield nuclear plant is on a site on the edge of the Irish Sea in Cumbria, but, according to the report commissioned by the Government, it poses no health risk to Ireland. The report states that even a worst case incident such as a massive explosion would not produce "observable health effects in Ireland". This flies in the face not only of what all of us know but also contradicts a British Government watchdog report issued earlier this month which found that hazardous nuclear waste at Sellafield posed an "intolerable risk" to people and the environment. A public spending watch group warned that plans to replace ageing nuclear waste facilities at Sellafield that posed "significant risks" to the population faced considerable uncertainty. If such a catastrophic event were to occur, it would be a perfect example of where we would need the massive manpower and efforts of Civil Defence.

In a recent debate in the Seanad the Minister of State highlighted the role played by Civil Defence during the rescue operation following the tragic sinking of a trawler in Glandore Harbour, County Cork, last January, with the loss of five lives. In an operation lasting more than 27 days an average of 36 Civil Defence volunteers per day, drawn from nine local authority areas, assisted in the search for the missing trawlermen. Civil Defence volunteers served for almost 8,000 hours in that operation. I join the Minister of State in commending all the volunteers involved.

Civil Defence is an organisation with approximately 6,000 members who voluntarily make themselves available in their spare time. Civil Defence is a respected organisation with highly trained and effective members who provide valued and appreciated support for the emergency services and the community. It is a voluntary organisation of dedicated men and women who assist the community and freely give of their time. They provide invaluable backup for the full-time emergency services and casualty, rescue, auxiliary fire and welfare services when needed. I offer the example of Kerry Civil Defence which is headed by people such as Mr. Tom Brosnan and has more than 240 volunteers who assist in all kinds of operations during severe weather conditions. A number of years ago they had to transport public health nurses to take care of their patients and also provided transport for members of the general public in coping with their day-to-day difficulties during that awful spell of bad weather. They provide invaluable assistance for organisations such as the Kerry mountain rescue team which also does excellent work. There is a great attraction for climbers in the mountains of County Kerry and, given the law of averages, accidents and incidents will take place on the hills and in the mountains. We are very fortunate to have such a good rescue team. Its members also assist Civil Defence during major events such as the annual cycle around the Ring of Kerry, the Rose of Tralee festival, Puck Fair and the 15 August celebrations in Kenmare. On all of these big occasions one can see the work and input of Civil Defence, the members of which are available when wanted. The Kerry county manager and Kerry County Council also support Civil Defence in recognition of the valuable contribution the organisation makes on a daily basis.

It is essential that the vital link between local authorities and Civil Defence is continued. It should not be affected in any way by the transfer of functions back to the Department. Local knowledge and communication with local authorities are essential to ensure the effective working of Civil Defence teams. This line of communication must remain open to ensure a immediate response to emergencies. I would not want to see the enactment of the Bill leading to a dilution or removal of the understanding of the work Civil Defence does throughout the country.

As already stated, all Civil Defence members are volunteers. In that context, we must ensure that Civil Defence's budget in respect of equipment and training is protected. It is the Minister's job to ensure that this happens and I have no doubt but that he will do his job. He certainly realises the importance of the work done by Civil Defence volunteers in his local community and the wider constituency he represents. I wish the Bill well and I look forward to its passage through the Houses. I thank the Minister of State for coming before the House to take this debate.

I wish to share time with Deputy Feighan.

According to the former President of the United States of America, Mr. Bill Clinton, "Volunteering is an act of heroism on a grand scale. And it matters profoundly. It does more than help people beat the odds; it changes the odds." I am of the view that this statement is acutely true when it comes to the work of the Civil Defence. The Civil Defence has many functions including search and rescue, the provision of auxiliary fire services and radiation monitoring. I am very much aware of the fantastic work performed by Dublin Civil Defence volunteers, particularly those in the Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown area.

The work of the Civil Defence, especially during periods of flooding, has been immense. Beginning in the early hours, on Thursday, 2 July last, a total of 59 Civil Defence personnel were involved in flood relief activity in Dublin. Some 18 people were evacuated from Sherrard Street in Dublin's city centre by An Garda Síochána and accommodated at the Dublin Civil Defence emergency accommodation centre. An emergency rescue vehicle distributed approximately 100 sandbags to 23 houses in the Sandymount area. Civil Defence fire crews were on standby at Swords, Blanchardstown, Nutgrove-Rathfarnham and Dún Laoghaire, with further crews operating from Civil Defence headquarters. The Civil Defence casualty service was also on stand-by at Malahide, Dún Laoghaire and Mount Argus. The professionalism and care displayed by the Civil Defence on the date to which I refer was extremely impressive and it made me realise the importance of the organisation. No one would disagree that the people who work in our emergency services are heroic individuals. I agree with Deputy Ó Fearghaíl that Civil Defence volunteers are local heroes.

The Bill provides for the dissolution of the Civil Defence Board and for the transfer of its functions and other responsibilities back to the Department of Defence. I thank all those who served on the Civil Defence Board and its various committees. I welcome the Minister of State's commitment to maintain the current level of funding for the Civil Defence at €5.585 million per annum. The programme for Government contains a commitment to reduce the number of State bodies and the Bill is proof of the Government's action in this regard. Shortly after taking up office, the Minister, Deputy Shatter, decided that the functions of the Civil Defence Board should be transferred back into the Department of Defence. The Bill gives legislative effect to that decision.

Progress is being made in the context of reducing the number of State agencies. In that context, significant streamlining is taking place in the Department of Education and Skills. The amalgamation of 33 VECs into 16 educational training boards will reduce the number of State agencies by 17. Some ten agencies under the remit of the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government are being dissolved. Six public bodies under the remit of the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport have been either merged or restructured. This includes the merger of Dublin Tourism and Fáilte Ireland. The number of agencies which come under the remit of the Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation has been reduced by four, with review pending in respect of a number of others. Three bodies which come within the remit of the Department of Health have been dissolved or merged. Similar work is under way in other Government Departments. Other reforms, including the merger of the National Qualifications Authority, FETAC and HETAC into a single body, are in train. During the next three years, the Government will continue to rationalise and restructure agencies and ensure that value for money is obtained for the taxpayer.

The Minister for Defence, Deputy Shatter, has guaranteed that the dissolution of the Civil Defence Board will not have a negative knock-on effect in respect of the Civil Defence. At the end of 2011 he gave a commitment to the effect that "The proposed transfer of functions will result in verifiable savings and will allow management to develop the provision of training support, which is a key demand in a voluntary organisation like Civil Defence rather than duplicating the corporate governance of the Department." As a result of the downturn in our economy and the commitment that was made by the previous Government to the troika, streamlining must occur, savings must be made and rationalisation of agencies must take place. These things will continue to happen. I endorse the measures contained in the Bill.

I thank the Minister of State for introducing the Bill, which is in line with the current policy to bring the functions of many State agencies back within their parent Departments. The Bill makes provision for the dissolution of the Civil Defence Board and the transfer of its functions back to the Department of Defence. The Civil Defence Board is funded from grant aid provided out of the Department of Defence's Vote.

The Civil Defence officers of the relevant local authorities oversee the delivery of Civil Defence functions. These officers are full-time employees of local authorities and are responsible for the day-to-day management of Civil Defence matters. Civil Defence instructors come from all over the country in order to be receive training in a wide variety of areas at Civil Defence headquarters in Rosscrea. The Irish Civil Defence was set up in 1950, to be part of the national defence structure as the necessary civil response to potential hazards which might arise in a war situation. I do not recall the 1950s but I do remember the Cold War and being told that in the event of a nuclear attack, we should huddle under the kitchen table. In such circumstances, prayer would have been our only hope. A few years ago a Minister of State saw to it that iodine tablets were delivered to every home in the country. Such tablets would not have provided much succour in the aftermath of a blast caused by a nuclear missile. It is good that we have emerged from the difficult period of the Cold War.

The Civil Defence is currently split into 32 administrative areas. The Civil Defence board currently has responsibility for these areas at national level but from now on that responsibility will again reside with the Department. The Civil Defence grew out of the voluntary air raid protection organisation, which had operated during the Second World War. It comprises some 6,000 members, all of whom are volunteers. Many of these individuals work for local authorities and they have made themselves available to deal with very difficult situations such as those caused by flooding.

The duties of Civil Defence include the management of public events, search and rescue, fire-fighting, river rescue, monitoring levels of radiation if necessary and providing assistance to the public during adverse weather events.

Until the move to Roscrea, Ratra House was the home of the Civil Defence from the establishment of the organisation in 1950. The lodge premises in the Phoenix Park was named by the first President of Ireland, Dr. Douglas Hyde, after his home, Ratra House, in Frenchpark, County Roscommon. Deputy Calleary will be familiar with Frenchpark as he passes it every second day. The people of Roscommon are very proud that Douglas Hyde, a great statesman, lived in Ratra House in Frenchpark.

I commend the Civil Defence Board and its committees for their contribution to the ongoing development of civil defence in the past decade. Their proposals have resulted in the development of the Civil Defence into a highly professional, albeit volunteer group. Civil Defence training programmes are well supported at local level. My first encounter with the Civil Defence was the occasion of the visit of Pope John Paul II to Knock in 1979, when the personnel of the Civil Defence, the Defence Forces and the FCA provided security and crowd control. The current level of funding for the Civil Defence will remain at €5.585 million, even in these straitened times, for which I commend the Minister. He acknowledges that the service provides value for money.

I am familiar with the work of the Civil Defence in Roscommon and Leitrim. The personnel are volunteer participants who take great professional pride in their work. I note the Department has upgraded the equipment available to them and the Civil Defence is the equal of similar organisations in other countries. I pay tribute to the men and women who provide the service. The Minister intends to set up a forum of stakeholders to share knowledge and expertise. The legislation will provide the Civil Defence with the ideal platform to develop as a first-class second-line emergency service. The voluntary ethos of the organisation is necessary and is to be welcomed.

The Civil Defence Act 2002 transferred responsibility for the governance of the organisation to the Civil Defence Board. The proposed Bill will not alter the co-operation between the national Civil Defence organisation and the local authorities. It will transfer the functions and responsibilities back to the Department of Defence. The Civil Defence uniforms and badges worn by members are internationally recognisable, showing that the organisation is part of a worldwide network of committed people preparing to serve in their own countries and communities or overseas. There may be a role for overseas involvement by Civil Defence volunteers who could provide assistance in cases of natural disasters. I commend the Bill to the House.

I welcome the opportunity to discuss the role of the Civil Defence and its work. It is appropriate to acknowledge the work of our late colleague Séamus Brennan, who introduced the 2000 Bill and whose vision for civil defence has resulted in the organisation we know today. The teams of volunteers and staff around the country work in partnership with the relevant local authorities. They have expanded the role and the public profile of the organisation to become a front-line community response to crises and a supporting resource for local festivals and events. The organisation is embedded in the community and this relationship must be retained when the Civil Defence is returned to the Department. The work of the past decade will be for naught if the link with the community is lost. I hope that in the construction of the new board there will be a means of measuring the strength of that link.

The occurrence of bizarre weather events in the recent past, such as flooding and heavy snowfalls, has demonstrated that the Civil Defence operates effectively and in a timely manner. The organisation is locally based and managed. It is hoped the response time element will be retained so that the organisation can continue to mobilise its forces in the community as efficiently as possible. Volunteers can respond to any event in the community within hours. This is possible because of the local command structure in the organisation. Deputy Feighan noted the nationwide co-ordination aspect of the organisation. We must ensure this immediate response to community situations is retained in the new structure. I welcome the guarantee that the budgetary arrangements for the service will be maintained. We must ensure that operations and activities account for the bulk of the expenditure rather than administrative functions. Will the involvement of the Radiological Protection Institute of Ireland and the Environmental Protection Agency with the Civil Defence organisation be maintained and developed?

The Civil Defence Officers' Association is represented on the Civil Defence board. The association has a strategic input into the running of the organisation. This input needs to be formalised to allow for some form of representation of Civil Defence officers on the new board. The Civil Defence is a volunteer organisation and this is the basis of its community focus. These volunteers need to be represented on the new board to ensure their input is central to the development of the new structure and the ongoing development of civil defence. There would be no Civil Defence without the volunteers.

That must always be kept in mind.

Recently at a meeting of the Joint Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality, the chairman of the board of the Civil Defence referred to the creation of a very informal forum. His view on the forum is that it would liaise with and consult interested parties. Has the Government given that any thought? Could it formalise the forum to have a required amount of consultation annually or biannually with the various stakeholders in the Civil Defence, who represent community and local authority interests and those involved in emergency planning and services?

I welcome the fact that the Government is retaining the headquarters and keeping the Civil Defence function somewhat separate from the functions of the rest of the Department. Although the Civil Defence falls within the remit of the Department, it is important that it retain as much autonomy as possible. It is its own unique community-led organisation. I welcome the fact that the offices will be retained in Roscrea.

It should be recognised that the Western Brigade of the Defence Forces will be stood down this weekend. This will end a fantastic link with the west dating from before the foundation of the State. I thank all those who served in the Western Brigade. It is unfortunate that its identity has now been lost. I understand it will be stood down tomorrow evening.

The Civil Defence has considerable opportunities in terms of involving and engaging with communities and attracting more volunteers. It should become involved with schools, displaying its work and equipment and engaging with transition year students to get them involved at an early age in civil defence, obviously in low-level operations.

We need communities that do not traditionally become involved in civil defence to know that they can become involved. Part of the budget should be devoted to promoting participation and recruitment. There are many individuals with skills who now, because of the economic circumstances, have time to participate. Their skills could be maintained and developed to the benefit of the community. I encourage the Minister to engage with the new board on promoting the Civil Defence as an outlet for one's skills and talents.

In the past 12 years in Mayo, the Civil Defence has developed phenomenally. It plays an active and intense role in responding to floods and bad weather conditions, and on unfortunate and tragic occasions it leads the way in search-and-rescue missions, often at short notice and in very difficult circumstances. We all owe the volunteers a great debt of gratitude. I hope the new design, while well intended, will not fall short in the implementation. We have a superb organisation; let us not damage it in the implementation of the plans for the new structure.

I am sharing my time Deputy O'Donovan.

One must salute the wonderful volunteers who work with the Civil Defence, who were rightly described by another speaker as local heroes. I welcome the fact that the headquarters will be maintained in Roscrea in County Tipperary. This is an important, central part of the country that is proud of its volunteers. The savings being made indicate the Government's determination to cut back on waste. That is why I welcome the initiative.

We are all mindful of the work of the Civil Defence. I refer to volunteerism and supporting local efforts in the wake of floods, freezing temperatures and snowfalls. For many years the River Suir overflowed in Clonmel in County Tipperary, causing considerable hardship to people in the town. The Civil Defence sprang into action immediately and helped to alleviate the problem. Now, owing to considerable investment and work on flood relief in the town, I hope its services will not be needed any more. Other towns will obviously be subject to flooding; one cannot predict when it will happen. Where other floods occur, the work of the local Civil Defence will come into play. The volunteers play a considerable role in improving the quality of life of everybody.

When the Civil Defence is called upon for local shows, activities and games, the volunteers always oblige. I am struck at all times by the pride with which they carry out their work. Day after day, event after event, I see the Civil Defence engage in emergency and support work to back up the Garda, local authorities and others who need it. This is why I salute the organisation.

The Civil Defence provides stewarding, first-aid cover and other supports at major public and community events. It supports the front-line ambulance service during environmental and other emergencies and the efforts of local authorities in dealing with all types of emergency. It cares for displaced people and supports efforts nationwide to combat the spread of infectious animal diseases in support of the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine. If a national herd is under threat, the Civil Defence will be ready to support the work of the Department's officials. This is sometimes forgotten when we introduce new legislation in the House. We must think of the volunteers who are so active.

I acknowledge the work done by the Department of Defence regarding the closure of the barracks in Clonmel. Some months or a year ago, we received the bad news that Kickham Barracks was to be closed down. Since then, Department and local authority officials in south Tipperary have made a genuine effort to put a plan together. The Minister for Justice and Equality, Deputy Alan Shatter, announced in recent weeks that a new Garda station would be built on the site. There has been widespread negativity over the past 12 months among certain individuals, and false accusations were made that members of the Government parties were standing idly by and doing nothing. I was pleased some weeks ago when the Minister for Justice and Equality gave his full backing to a proposal, involving the local authority, the VEC and LIT, to put the site to valuable use. I hope that over the coming years this proposal will be implemented. The plan is now almost in place. While one may criticise members of the public service, one must acknowledge this is an example of public servants working together to put a strategic plan in place for the Army barracks site. It must be acknowledged that it is worthwhile to make the site useful for the taxpayer and convert it into a valuable asset for the town and surrounding area. I thank the Minister sincerely and am only too glad to put these points on the record.

I am pleased that the Civil Defence headquarters will be in Roscrea and that the new changes will save €60,000. That amount may look small but if we can save money in every area in every Department, it will be easier for the Minister for Finance to balance the budget next week and it will not be a struggle to find more taxes and more ways to make life less difficult for people. The Government parties committed to cut public waste during the election campaign and that is happening, although the pace may be slow. However, it is worthwhile and we should continue on that track.

I welcome the opportunity to contribute to the debate. Before I get into the nuts and bolts of the legislation, I often wonder whether the previous Government did anything apart from establish boards, quangos, talking shops and unnecessary stuff because we have spent most of the past two years doing nothing other than abolishing them. I acknowledge we have to try to get rid of 14 years of quangos but this is another board that was badly in need of abolition. What was it set up for in the first place? The recommendations in the legislation will not change how the Civil Defence operates or administers the functions it carries out effectively around the country. Why over the past two years have successive Ministers had to traipse into the House with legislation to unwind a spider's web of quangos that the previous Government left them with?

They have not done much so far.

On the one hand, the parliamentary time it is taking to undo the bureaucratic monster, which is the legacy of the previous Government, is a waste, but, on the other, it epitomises the wanton waste in which the previous Government engaged like a juggernaut out of control spewing out cash. The €60,000 saving resulting from this Bill might be small but, as Deputy Tom Hayes said, it is part of an overall package. Yesterday, we dealt with regulations to downsize political administration. We will also have fewer VECs, the number of county enterprise boards has reduced and a clatter of other publicly funded organisations are being reformed by being merged, amalgamated or abolished. It is taking a great deal of time and effort on the part of civil servants, Ministers, Oireachtas committees and parliamentary draftsmen. The legacy of Fianna Fáil, the Progressive Democrats Party and the Green Party in government is the two years the current Government has had to spend on the "de-quangoisation" of Ireland.

The Bill includes a commitment to maintain Civil Defence numbers at their current level of 6,500 but there is scope to do a little more. Significant emphasis has been put on volunteerism over the past few years. In 2013, The Gathering will be one of the Government's major initiatives. The Civil Defence will have an important role to play at events that are planned throughout the country. Bearing in mind that the population has increased and the number of people, unfortunately, as a result of the economic collapse who have time on their hands and want to put it to good use in their local communities has increased, there might be an opportunity for the Department to increase the strength of the Civil Defence because, at the end of the day, civil defence is not only about people helping their communities but also about developing their personal skills, including leadership.

Deputy Tom Hayes alluded to the role the Civil Defence will have in the future dealing with natural disasters, emergencies and so on. It was established in 1950 to provide assurance to the State during the height of the Cold War when nuclear bombs and so on were a threat. Since then, it has evolved into an organisation that is fit for purpose and it responds quickly and effectively. Over the past five or six years, there has been a noticeable change in our climate. One only needs to consider the past summer and the volume of rainfall, which meant land was saturated all the time, channels could not take more water and flooding was a threat. Going forward, the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government and the Civil Defence need to examine whether the capability is available to come to the aid of communities more quickly than is the case currently. Deluges and flash flooding are becoming regular occurrences. In 2008, my home town, Newcastlewest, experienced a flash flood and water rose to 20 ft. in a few hours. A small river, the River Arra, burst its banks and, within a few hours, an air sea rescue helicopter was hovering over the town and Civil Defence boats were on the streets. That is not the image we want to see but it is important that the capability, infrastructure and local volunteer network is in place.

I refer to Deputy Ó Fearghaíl's proposal. The Civil Defence has a strong relationship with local authorities, as much of its capital expenditure derives from the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government. In many cases, Civil Defence officers, including my own in Limerick - Mr. Jos Kirby - are based in local authority offices and, therefore, they have a ready made link to the Department. As reform evolves, the Minister might consider more devolution into the local authority structure from the Department of Defence to give chief executive officers and local authority members a role in setting targets for the Civil Defence. The organisation will be party to the formulation of major emergency plans for local authorities, which is positive, but local authority members, engineers and local gangers on the roads have the knowledge about where flooding is likely and so on. It is on that basis that the organisation might migrate in the long term into the local authority structure.

A sum of €60,000 is 1% of the overall budget but the Government is progressing with the "de-quangoisation" of the country and trying to restore a semblance of accountability. Restoring the Civil Defence to the Department of Defence begs the question: why was it moved out of there in the first place? Given this will happen, we must examine whether greater efficiencies can be made. My sole criticism of the Government parties is that they are not getting the message out about the number of quangos that have been changed in a short time. Last year, I tabled parliamentary questions to every Minister to elicit the number of quangos, State boards and talking shops in one form or another that had been abolished, merged or subsumed and there was a huge number. A review of the reforms that are being made should be carried out on an annual basis by the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform.

I pay tribute to the Civil Defence in my own county. Given the local authorities in Limerick are being merged, as they are in Tipperary, the organisation will face a challenge in the county, no more than the fire service and other emergency services provided by the two local authorities. However, there is potential for greater synergies between the fire and emergency services and the Civil Defence and to subsume them into a more integrated, responsible and accountable local authority system. I commend the Bill to the House.

I thank all the Members who contributed to this debate. Everyone praised the work done by the Civil Defence across the country. As I stated in my opening remarks, it is intended that this Bill will return the management, development and administration of the Civil Defence to the Department of Defence. In the day-to-day running of the organisation and for the volunteer on the ground, the basic structure of the Civil Defence will remain the same. That was a concern for several Members. The only change to the Civil Defence is the dissolution of its board, while its management will be brought into the Department of Defence. A forum will be established with representatives from the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government, county managers, Civil Defence officers and volunteers and the Department of Defence. Civil Defence officers and volunteers from all local authorities and local areas will have a voice in this proposed forum. The concerns of every volunteer on the ground will be listened to.

The Bill is a major advance for the Civil Defence and represents a sensible and practical model for its operation in the years ahead. I believe the Bill's measures will be welcomed by all Civil Defence members and ensure it develops as a first-class second-line emergency response organisation. In County Wexford, I am very much aware of the amount of work Civil Defence volunteers do on the ground. While some may say the savings from this legislation are minimal, €60,000 is still not to be sniffed at in these times.

I thank Members for their contributions, which have been most instructive and helpful. I look forward to an equally constructive debate on Committee Stage.

Question put and agreed to.
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