Thank you, a Leas-Chathaoirleach, for agreeing to take the Bill today.
The main purposes of the Bill are to update the Civil Defence legislation generally and to provide for the establishment of the Civil Defence Board to co-ordinate the operations and future development of the Civil Defence and advise the Minister on policy issues. The creation of such a legislative framework was an important element in the Government's White Paper on Defence. I am happy that as the Minister with delegated responsibility for the Civil Defence I have honoured the policy commitment by bringing forward this Bill. The Bill provides for the establishment of a board of management to be known as An Bord Cosanta Sibhialta, or the Civil Defence Board, which will co-ordinate the operation and future development of the Civil Defence and advise the Minister on policy issues. Political accountability to the Oireachtas for the discharge of the board's functions will remain with me.
The Civil Defence was originally set up in 1950 to undertake non-combatant activities and to afford defence against an attack or disaster on the State or otherwise arising from war-like weapons, radioactive fallout, biological or chemical warfare. The Civil Defence currently operates under the Air Raid Precautions Acts of 1939 and 1946 and various local government Acts and statutory instruments. The Civil Defence branch of the Department of Defence facilitates, through the local authorities, Civil Defence responses for emergency relief. Each local authority provides civil defence services that are administered by the Civil Defence officer who reports to the county or city manager. There are currently approximately 6,000 volunteer members in the organisation. They are recruited within their local areas and are offered training in various skills, such as first aid, rescue, fire fighting, emergency feeding, searching and radiation monitoring.
Civil Defence members are dedicated and highly committed to the ideal of voluntary community service. The volunteer force is maintained at a modest cost and has maintained its voluntary ethos for more than 50 years. This trend will be continued and developed under the new legislation. Currently recruiting new members has proved difficult. There are a wide variety of alternative attractions available. Consequently, it is my intention that under this Bill the Civil Defence Board will devote a considerable portion of its energies to the recruitment of new members and to retaining the services of existing members.
Section 7 of the Bill is a key provision as it brings the Civil Defence Board into existence on "the establishment day". That day will be appointed by order of the Minister for Defence under section 4. Section 8(h) provides for the board to advise the Minister for Defence on policy matters relatingto civil defence or at the request of the Minister. The board will be comprised of individuals dedicated to the future development of the organisation and will carry out its functions in an independent manner and develop its own programmes as provided in section 8 of the Bill.
The board will have a function in promoting the role of the Civil Defence in providing services to the community and in developing programmes to enhance those services. While the Third Schedule sets out the type of community support programmes to be developed arising from section 8(3), it is not exhaustive and the board will be able to develop other community support services within the limits of its own resources.
Section 8(e) provides for the board to develop plans and improve standards of civil defence education, training, knowledge, skill and equipment. Provision is made in section 8(i) for the board to conduct and commission research and foster and promote contacts with educational institutions and other bodies engaged in civil defence activities both at home and abroad. There is provision in section 8(f) of the Bill for the board to promote public awareness programmes in relation to civil defence and I expect the board will use this provision to enhance the profile of the organisation.
However, I must recognise that in the post 11 September scenario the possibility of a deliberate or accidental disaster of major proportions affecting the nation could necessitate the Minister, with Government approval, having to recall the authority of the board for the duration of such an emergency. I have provided, therefore, for such a contingency in section 10, but I emphasise, however, that this provision could only be exercised in a major disaster situation and only with the full authority of the Government.
Section 11 deals with the composition of the Civil Defence Board which will comprise 14 members, the composition of which will have regard to appropriate gender balance. I am convinced that any more than 14 could prove rather unwieldy. The director general shall be a full member of the board in order to have a full and meaningful participation in the decision-making processes. The City and County Managers Association will be represented. They have operational control of the Civil Defence at local level and should have an input into all decisions affecting the future development of the organisation. The Bill also provides for up to four persons with external expertise to be members of the board. I envisage these persons to be broadly representative of commercial, industrial and administrative interests countrywide. The Bill also provides for a representative from the Department of the Environment and Local Government with experience of emergency planning to be represented on the board. The Radiological Protection Institute of Ireland will also be represented on the board. As Senators will be aware, the Civil Defence has a defined role under the radiological national plan. I am also inviting a representative of the Environmental Protection Agency to be a member of the board.
It is important that whatever first-line service is charged with combating a particular threat can call on the resources of the Civil Defence to support it. The Civil Defence Officers Association is a national organisation representative of Civil Defence officers and assistant Civil Defence officers. I consider it appropriate, therefore, that this organisation should be represented on the board. The Civil Defence operates closely with the Garda Síochána and also has links with the Defence Forces. Consequently, I consider it prudent that both organisations be represented on the board. The most important member of any voluntary organisation is undoubtedly the volunteer. I consider it important that the voice of the volunteer be available on the management board and I have provided for this in section 11(j)(i). In line with partnership and best practice, it is important that a member of staff is appointed to the board of management.
Section 11(4) provides for one member of the board to be designated as chairperson and section 12 contains related standard provisions regarding chairpersons. Section 14 provides for a permanent civil servant to be designated as the first director general of the board. It is important that the Civil Service expertise should continue in managing the Civil Defence of the future.
Section 15 provides for the board, as appropriate, to engage outside expertise which will be an important provision for the development of strategic planning in the organisation. Funding will be of vital importance to the board and provision is made in section 20 for the Minister to provide that funding by way of grant-in-aid to the board from the Defence Vote. The grant-in-aid will also provide for funding the salary and related costs for the staff of the board. Sections 22 and 23 contain standard provisions for dealing with gifts and for the accounts of the board to be prepared as appropriate and to be submitted to the Comptroller and Auditor General and also for the audited accounts to be laid before each House of the Oireachtas.
Provision is made at section 26 for the board to make an annual report and other reports to the Minister as he or she or the board might think fit. Section 27 provides for the Minister to give a direction to the board to use, provide or lend equipment as appropriate should the Minister consider it necessary to alleviate a particular situation. Section 28 provides for the board to establish committees of the board, particularly three named committees to carry out the work of the board. Section 30 provides for the board to submit a strategic plan to the Minister setting out its key objectives and strategies and reviewing the plan every three years. Section 31 provides for each local authority to submit a Civil Defence plan to the board and these plans are intended to form the basis for the board to submit its plan to the Minister under section 30. I am confident this process of strategic planning will permeate throughout the organisation from management down to the newest recruit, lead to a sense of ownership at all levels and give new focus to the overall development of the Civil Defence.
The First Schedule provides for the definition of the Civil Defence to be identical to that already contained in the Geneva Conventions (Amendment) Act, 1998, and also allows sufficient scope for the board to develop the organisation into the future.
I am happy to have had the opportunity to shape and advance the statutory framework for the future development of the Civil Defence. This Bill is a landmark development as it is the first Civil Defence legislation in more than 50 years. I look forward to hearing the views of Senators on the Bill and I commend it to the House.
