Before I call the Minister of State, I welcome our visitors in the Gallery, who are civil servants from Romania.
Civil Defence Bill 2023: Second Stage
I move: "That the Bill be now read a Second Time."
I too extend that welcome to our guests. I am pleased to present the Bill to the House on behalf of the Tánaiste and Minister for Defence. The purpose of this relatively short but important Bill is to modernise and reform the current legislative basis for the Civil Defence organisation. There is a requirement to do this because the existing regulatory framework, comprising enactments dating from 1939 to 2012, no longer provides a comprehensive statutory basis for Civil Defence matters.
Civil Defence was established in 1951. It is a State-funded organisation with volunteers in every county. It has a proud tradition of supporting the principal response agencies, namely, the local authorities, the Health Service Executive and An Garda Síochána, in dealing with a wide variety of emergencies. It also plays a very significant role in supporting local communities, old and new. The commitment of volunteers, which is important to the successful operation of Civil Defence, is truly inspiring.
Civil Defence has played an integral role in the response to the Covid-19 pandemic and to the provision of support to Ukrainians seeking protection in Ireland. During the Covid-19 pandemic, Civil Defence volunteers played a significant role within their communities in every county. I know at first hand that in Westmeath, Civil Defence under the leadership of Brian Gillen played a huge role with its volunteers, of whom we are very proud for the great work they do. Approximately 9,500 taskings were undertaken by Civil Defence volunteers during the pandemic. Since March 2022, Civil Defence units have been actively supporting Ukrainians seeking protection in Ireland. This support has included setting up temporary rest centres and the provision of much-needed transport.
I acknowledge the constructive contributions and positive discussions on the work of Civil Defence during the debates on the Bill, and the recent engagement between the Joint Committee on Foreign Affairs and Defence and representatives from the Department of Defence and Civil Defence. The consistent underlying theme from all the contributions is the pride and respect we all share for our Civil Defence organisation. Since 1951, Civil Defence has operated in accordance with the provisions of the Air-Raid Precautions Acts 1939 to 1946. Although Civil Defence Bills were enacted in 2002 and 2012, there has been no comprehensive updating of Civil Defence legislation to replace the Air-Raid Precaution Acts. These enactments, dating back to the late 1930s and the 1940s, were framed in a very different era and are no longer adequate for the ongoing and future development of Civil Defence. The policy framework on which Civil Defence currently operates was set down in a policy document entitled Civil Defence Towards 2030, published in 2020, which sets out the core roles and services of Civil Defence.
Although the Bill before us does not set out any major departures from existing policy, it will ensure there is a comprehensive legislative basis for the operation of Civil Defence. It will deliver on a commitment in the White Paper on Defence of 2015 to replacing the existing suite of legislation concerning Civil Defence with a more modern, aggregated legislative basis. The Bill will reaffirm the continuing role, at a national level, of Civil Defence in managing the development of the overall strategies and policies regarding Civil Defence matters and sets out an ongoing responsibility of the local authorities for operational matters such as the recruitment of volunteers and the delivery of Civil Defence services.
The legislation builds on the long-standing and successful model whereby local authorities manage the local operations of Civil Defence with the support of a central government level of the Department of Defence. Within the Department, the Civil Defence branch, which has been based for many years in Roscrea, is responsible for Civil Defence matters, including the training of instructors who deliver training courses for Civil Defence volunteers. As regards financial matters, the long-standing funding model for Civil Defence, whereby funding is provided by both the Department of Defence and local authorities, remains unchanged under the current legislation.
Under the pre-legislative scrutiny process, the general scheme of the Bill was referred to the Joint Committee on Foreign Affairs and Defence. As part of this process, departmental officials made a presentation to the committee regarding the draft legislative proposals. Following the presentation, the committee agreed it would not undertake further pre-legislative scrutiny of the Bill. As I indicated earlier, however, it recently took the opportunity to meet representatives of the Department of Defence and Civil Defence to discuss Civil Defence matters in greater detail, and I understand the joint committee intends to visit Civil Defence in Roscrea in the near future.
I will now outline the main provisions of the Bill. Section 1 is a standard section that provides definitions for key terms used in the Bill.
Section 2 sets out the responsibility of the Minister for Defence for the overall policies and strategies relating to Civil Defence. It also makes provision for the Minister to undertake a range of general functions in respect of Civil Defence including the provision of various services in support of local authorities.
Section 3 relates to the provision, within specified time limits, of information by a local authority to the Minister for Defence concerning Civil Defence matters.
Section 4 relates to the establishment by each local authority of a dedicated Civil Defence unit for the purpose of providing Civil Defence services in the administrative area of that local authority. The section includes provisions enabling a local authority to make arrangements concerning the establishment of a joint Civil Defence unit with one or more other local authorities for the purposes of providing shared Civil Defence services. It also provides in an updated manner for the continuation of the existing arrangements as they relate to the operation of Civil Defence units at local authority level.
Section 5 relates to the employment by local authorities of Civil Defence officers. The role of Civil Defence officers is very important given they manage the operation of Civil Defence at a local authority level, including the registration, training and management of Civil Defence volunteers.
Section 6 relates to the appointment of persons as Civil Defence volunteers by local authorities. The section sets out that the Minister may give directions to local authorities concerning Civil Defence volunteers.
Section 7 provides for the mandatory establishment by each local authority of a register of persons serving as Civil Defence volunteers in that local authority area. The intention is the register will be maintained in an electronic form. Currently, local authorities are required to maintain a similar register under the Civil Defence Act. Any such register currently maintained by local authorities shall be deemed to be the register for the purpose of this Act. On the commencement of the legislation, the title of the exiting register will change from the “register of Civil Defence members” to the “register of Civil Defence volunteers” so as to reflect more appropriately the voluntary nature of Civil Defence. The electronic register of Civil Defence volunteers will be maintained by local authorities and will include a range of information as specified in the section. Care has been taken during the preparation of this section to reaffirm that any personal data held on the register will be stored and processed subject to compliance with data protection legislation. Access to the information in the register will be strictly limited to persons specified in the legislation. Data entered onto the register shall be retained only for as long as necessary and in accordance with data protection legislation. In this regard, a number of legislative safeguards are included in the section to ensure full compliance with data protection requirements. In line with the provisions of section 84(12) of the Data Protection Act 2018, consultation took place with the Data Protection Commission regarding the provisions in the legislation concerning the processing of personal data held on the register.
Section 8 updates existing provisions concerning the preparation by local authorities of Civil Defence plans. Under the new legislation, a local authority will be obliged to publish the Civil Defence plan once it has been approved by the Minister for Defence.
Section 9 restates in an updated form the long-standing arrangements under which the Minister for Defence provides grant funding to local authorities in support of Civil Defence activities. The funding provided shall not exceed in one year a maximum of 70% of Civil Defence expenditure, unless prior approval has been received from the Minister by a local authority. The section also provides that a local authority may, with the approval of the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, incur expenses relating to Civil Defence.
Section 10 relates to the making by the Minister for Defence of regulations concerning codes of practice for Civil Defence volunteers.
Section 11 is a standard provision providing that expenses incurred will be paid out of moneys provided by the Oireachtas.
Section 12 is another standard section concerning the making of regulations.
Section 13 provides for the repeal of the Air-Raid Precautions Acts 1939 and 1946 and the Civil Defence Act 2012.
Section 14 provides for a number of necessary transitional provisions that are required because the existing enactments relating to Civil Defence are being repealed.
Section 15 is a standard provision that deals with the Short Title as well as arrangements for the commencement of the legislation.
In summary, while this is a relatively short Bill, it is necessary to better support the important work of Civil Defence and the roles undertaken by almost 2,500 Civil Defence volunteers as they continue to serve their communities. I commend it to the House.
I thank the Minister of State. Before I call Senators, I welcome the students from Coláiste Bhríde, Clondalkin, County Dublin. I have family members who attend the school, so the visitors are especially welcome here today. I thank them for joining us.
I welcome my colleague, the Minister of State, Deputy Burke, to the House. I thank him for his presentation and I appreciate the enthusiasm with which he goes about all these things.
I acknowledge the work done by members of the Civil Defence during the Covid pandemic. They did extraordinarily effective work on a number of fronts. They had to deal with older people, people living in more isolated conditions, etc. Across the board the Civil Defence members did huge work and that merits acknowledgement. Sadly, it is a reasonable proposition that we may not have had our last pandemic and, for that reason, it is important we have a strong and active Civil Defence that would be in a position to deal as effectively with future pandemics as we did with the last one. That makes the legislation and any dealings with the Civil Defence of crucial importance.
I am particularly proud of the Civil Defence organisation in County Cavan. We have a very big commitment to Civil Defence there in terms of numbers and activity, including constant activity around football matches and so forth. We had Fleadh Cheoil three years in a row and at any events the Civil Defence is there but it was particularly there during Covid. Some years back the foot and mouth disease presented huge difficulties in the Border area. All of that brings into focus the importance of the Civil Defence and any supporting organisations.
The Minister of State made the point that a lot of this Bill is regulatory and is modernising legislation, and as such we welcome it. The Minister remains responsible for overall policies and operational matters, which is a continuation of the de facto situation, and that is restated in the modern legislation. Regarding county councils, the Bill states that the role of the Civil Defence is to manage the operation at local authority level, including the registration, training and management of Civil Defence volunteers. This is important at local authority level. It is important we devolve to local authorities functions they are capable of implementing, and certainly this is one where there is a good tradition of implementing successfully. There is a local tie-up. I notice a good few of the Civil Defence volunteers are staff of the local authority, which is a good thing and there is quite a range of other people who are volunteers.
Regarding the process by which people become Civil Defence volunteers, there is a proud tradition of the quality of volunteers and there must be a process. The register of serving volunteers is to be maintained in electronic form, and the Minister of State went to a lot of trouble to point out that is in keeping with data protection legislation, and that is how it should be. There should not be access to those records by any marketing companies or groups of people who have no right to be involved with that information. The register should not be accessed by anyone other than the relevant officers and the people themselves. The legislation provides for an individual to seek an update or amendment of the register in terms of his or her own position. It is important it is in keeping with data protection legislation, and a volunteer can at any time inspect the register and what is there, and rightly so.
Section 8 updates existing provisions concerning the preparation by local authorities of Civil Defence plans, which will then be approved by the Minister and published. It is important there would be a Civil Defence plan to deal with all potential emergencies, whether they are crowd issues at various cultural or social events or pandemics for which they are on stand-by, and that there would be a plan for growth, recruitment, training and maintaining morale and motivation. It is important there would be a plan, that it would be acted on and that it would be reviewed fairly regularly.
Section 10 provides for the Minister to make regulations for a code of practice for Civil Defence volunteers. From my anecdotal knowledge, and the Minister of State might confirm this in his concluding remarks, our Civil Defence volunteers have an exemplary record. They are one of the groupings who, thank God, have been immune from a lot of the dreadful information the Acting Chairperson and others were discussing in the House about other organisations. My understanding is the Civil Defence has an unblemished record and the Minister of State might confirm that in his concluding remarks. That is my anecdotal information. I did not ask a question on the matter but I gather that is the case. Certainly in all of the areas I know well personally, Civil Defence volunteers are exemplary people who do a great job.
The Air-Raid Precautions Acts 1939 and 1946, and the Civil Defence Act 2012 are maintained and updated, where appropriate. Section 14 deals with transitional arrangements.
In essence, this Bill is modernising and good legislation. It is welcome and I understand it has the unanimous support of the House. Second Stage is an opportunity to pay tribute to our wonderful Civil Defence people. The Minister of State expressed pride in the Civil Defence organisation in his own county of Westmeath. I am very proud of Cavan Civil Defence and the wonderful job it does. Civil Defence is very visible in a good way and does a great job. I am pleased that everything will be done to protect Civil Defence volunteers in terms of data protection and the use of the register and that there will be upgrading and training. If we want the Minister of State to assure us of anything at the end, it would be that there will be good, continuous funding, training, modernisation and a review of plans, that it would be an ongoing organic process and that we would not sit on our laurels.
I welcome the students from St. Pius X Boys’ National School. I am a resident on Templeville Road so the group is welcome as they come from my own local community.
I welcome the students from St. Pius X Boys’ National School as well. I share what Senator O'Reilly said about the great work done by the Civil Defence. I also share his sense of pride in the record of the Civil Defence over the years as a vital part of our social fabric, but I am alarmed by one thing. In 2015, the Department of Defence published a White Paper on Defence, which stated "The life-blood of Civil Defence is provided by some 4,000 volunteers". That was in 2015. The next thing that happened was that a plan was prepared either two or three years ago called Civil Defence - Towards 2030, which stated 3,500. Today, the Minister of State has come to the House and said "almost 2,500". Let us be honest. If those figures are correct, there has been a sharp decline in volunteering for the Civil Defence, and that is an awful pity. There is a strategy called Civil Defence - Towards 2030, but if the number of volunteers has gone down from 4,000 in 2015 to 3,500 as per the website and to almost 2,500 volunteers now, there is a problem.
By the way, it is not just a problem with Civil Defence; it is a problem right across the board in this country. The Garda Reserve was established with some difficulty and political difficulty. It aimed to have 1,200 members and it had that many or thereabouts. However, it has been allowed to almost completely collapse. The 1,200 members are now down around 300-odd members now. There has been absolutely no significant recruitment over the years. The members in the Garda Reserve are getting older. They are coming towards the age limit and leaving with - I am sorry to say this – a sense of sadness and futility that they volunteered to become part of what was to be a valuable part of the policing service on a voluntary basis and, unfortunately, the whole system was allowed to atrophy for a number of reasons that I have spoken about in this House previously. There is a strategy document for the Garda Reserve. There can be strategy documents and White Papers, but the point is whether the recruitment is being done. Senator Chambers and I, at different times, served in the An Fórsa Cosanta Áitiúil, FCA, and the Reserve Defence Force. It is dwindling all the time. It is atrophying. Volunteerism in three branches of our national services is in serious decline. I do not know why that is the case. Perhaps it is different social attitudes but I also think it is different departmental attitudes.
I looked at the document entitled Civil Defence – Towards 2030, which is the current strategy for Civil Defence. I do not see anything in it about numbers. If Civil Defence is distributed across 35 local authority nodes and it has 2,500 or 3,500 members or whatever it may be, it means that in most local authority areas, there is an average of 100 members. That is a low figure. It is a threshold such that if we fall below it, it will become increasingly difficult to keep up morale and do all the things Senator Joe O’Reilly mentioned, from Fleadh Cheoils to rescue to pandemic duties to assistance in mass vaccination programmes, not to mention other emergency services supplied by the Civil Defence.
I do not want to rain on anybody’s parade. This Bill is necessary. There is nothing wrong with updating the legislation. However, let us call a spade a spade. We are talking about a situation in which the Civil Defence is, on the face of documents published by the Department, in decline, and that should not be.
The Department of Defence should recognise that even the Permanent Defence Forces are in a state of decline. Numbers are falling and recruitment is difficult. I read in the papers the other day that what used to be called married quarters in barracks are mainly not used anymore because they have been phased out as a policy matter. Many of them are unusable for lack of maintenance. If being a soldier in our Army or a sailor in our Naval Service is a career, it has to be paid well.
We cannot go on as we are, allowing our defence budget to be as small as it is. We need, unfortunately, to invest far more. We need to buy those two transport aircraft Deputy Cathal Berry has been speaking about. We are not in a position to evacuate people or logistically move any significant amount of material from anywhere in the world without the assistance of others. We need a Defence Force that is capable of dealing with security situations that could yet still re-emerge in Ireland or that could come from outside Ireland, of which we do not even spend much time worrying about.
I am making the point that if volunteerism is important, let us do something about it. I brought the Irish media over to Chester in England to see how the special constables, their version of the Garda Reserve, operate. They were a bit surprised when they asked a woman why she was a special constable and she replied that she likes to give something back to her community. They asked her what she does normally and she said she is an intensive care nurse. The journalists’ jaws dropped. There are people who want to give and our State is not allowing them to do so adequately.
I welcome the Minister of State and this legislation. However, get on with the job and make sure the numbers volunteering across Ireland are on the way up and not the way down.
On behalf of the Fianna Fáil Party, I welcome this Bill. Like other contributors, I acknowledge the great work of each Civil Defence unit in every county around the country. I thank the volunteers for the time they give to each and every community they serve. They are highly motivated and highly trained. They come from all across our workforce. As Senator McDowell said, people join who are, for example, nurses and ambulance drivers. I know so many people who are embedded in the community in different roles in their day jobs and they then give those skills to the Civil Defence on our behalf.
We saw, visibly, throughout the pandemic the importance of having a Civil Defence within the local authorities as it supported the local, ground-level response that we needed in our local authorities. The Civil Defence unit was able to get into action efficiently.
I acknowledge Chris Connolly, our local Civil Defence officer in County Louth and the incredible work he does to organise all our volunteers. Every year, from the Poc Fada in the Cooley Mountains to the visit of President Biden to assisting the fire services in very difficult major fire incidences, the volunteers are there and at hand. They were also at hand during the pandemic for the mass vaccination.
The Minister of State quite rightly outlined the main purpose of the Bill. He went through each section. All of us welcome an opportunity to modernise and make sure we have a consolidation of Bills. We must always look to improve and see how we can assist volunteers. On a local level, I am sure there are examples all across the country where there is either a lack of accommodation or accommodation that is not used. I think of the Civil Defence building that sits on the pier under King John’s Castle in Carlingford that is not being used. There is a lack of resources for the local authorities to use it, whether it is to be used for Civil Defence activities or other community activities. The Department of Defence and local authorities need to come together and get an audit of the buildings that are ear-marked for Civil Defence.
They need to consider the best use for these buildings.
As I was listening to Senator McDowell, I was thinking that we really need to examine the recruitment and retention of volunteers. Have we let those Civil Defence buildings and visible pieces of pride in our community fall into disrepair? People do not want to get involved in volunteerism. Local authorities are not investing in the visible pride we have in our Civil Defence and perhaps that is why there has been so great a reduction in the numbers of volunteers. Will the Minister of State convey to the Department the suggestion of an audit of buildings? Has there been an examination of why people are leaving? It cannot all be down to people ageing out. There have to be reasons for people not signing up to be volunteers. How can we as an Oireachtas, the Minister of State at the Department and the local authorities support and encourage people and ensure volunteers will know that the community has incredible pride in and respect for them? How can we translate that into increased numbers? There are so many different global threats at the moment, such as pandemics and so on. Twice in one week, hand, foot and mouth disease was mentioned in this House. In a context such as that, it is integral to have that local community response ready for action. There is a circular aspect to these crises. They are due every so often. Unfortunately, with weather changes and society changes, we need that emergency response and we need our Civil Defence to be well resourced with personnel, equipment and buildings.
I very much welcome the Bill and the acknowledgement that Civil Defence needs to be modernised. I recognise that the Department is taking this seriously. Along with the Bill, however, we need to continue implementing the White Paper to encourage people and ensure the volunteer spirit in Civil Defence, which we all value greatly, will continue.
Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire Stáit. Civil Defence is a fantastic voluntary organisation with a proud history of more than 70 years. It plays a vital role in protecting and safeguarding the lives of people throughout Ireland. It is responsible for providing emergency response and relief services during times of crisis such as floods, storms, fires, landslides and other disasters. It also provides a range of other services such as first aid, search and rescue, emergency transport, evacuation and public education, as well as training and education to its members, which is essential to ensuring the safety of the public. It is important to acknowledge the huge role Civil Defence has played recently, not least during the pandemic and the recent arrival of Ukrainian people, given it has been actively involved in supporting Ukrainians seeking protection in Ireland, including by setting up temporary rest centres and ongoing logistics.
The Bill specifies that the Minister may give “directions to local authorities in relation to the performance of their functions under, or for the purposes of, this Act as the Minister considers appropriate”. In respect of Civil Defence plans, which the Minister of State mentioned in regard to section 8, they must specify the key objectives having regard to any direction of the Minister under the Act. Does the Minister of State have any indication of which areas the Minister may seek to focus on regarding Civil Defence plans? One important area in which Civil Defence has been involved is natural disasters and, with the inevitable increase in flooding and adverse weather events caused by climate change, it is important we do our best to ensure we are protected and that Civil Defence is deployed most effectively.
The Bill will continue the practice whereby the Government may not provide more than 70% of funding in a year for local Civil Defence costs, with local authorities providing the other 30%. What is the rationale for this division? Would the Department exceed the 70% if it were deemed the local authority could not adequately fund its protections?
Section 10 includes provisions in regard to the making by the Minister for Defence of regulations concerning codes of practice for Civil Defence volunteers. What process and sanctions are envisaged for breaches of the code of practice? It has a fantastic reputation but many other institutions highlighted that all is not well. I emphasise I am not saying this about Civil Defence, but prevention is the best form of cure and it instils confidence. I am interested in section 10, regarding the code of practice, in the context of the regulations the Minister may prescribe in this area and the standards of conduct and integrity to be maintained, which should be uppermost in our minds to ensure we protect that institution and its traditions and reputation.
Many people want to help and make our country a better place and want to serve this country, but may not necessarily want to join the Defence Forces, Óglaigh na hÉireann. Some of these people enter Civil Defence. We should be thinking bigger when it comes to serving our country. A lot of the work of Civil Defence is focused on reacting to emergencies, which it does excellently, but perhaps it is time for us to think about an organisation that is focused on preventing emergencies too. In this spirit, the idea of a civilian climate corps is one we should explore in Ireland, and I hope the Minister of State will give this some consideration. Some have been established in other parts of the world, including the United States, where President Biden has, as part of his American jobs plan, called for a new large-scale climate corps to combat the 21st-century problem of climate change. This is to be modelled on the original civilian conservation corps set up by Franklin Roosevelt as part of his New Deal. In an Irish context, this could help us to achieve our climate goals, with people helping out in areas where we need more workers, such as tree-planting, building trails, rewetting bogs and learning skills for the retrofitting of homes.
In Kildare, we have a proud tradition of Civil Defence officers and volunteers. I am sure Senator Wall, who is in the Chamber, will comment on this because he has a genuine concern in this area as well. Their professionalism in Kildare and their dedication at first hand was widely recognised this year when a team from Kildare was announced overall winners of the trauma national rescue challenge, and barely a week goes by without it contributing in important ways to the social fabric of the life of our local communities. In the past few weeks alone, it has provided medical cover to vintage car shows in Johnstownbridge, charity events such as Bluebells and Busters in Killinthomas Wood and the Irish boat event in Senator Wall's area, Athy. Only last weekend, for the second running of the annual Bealtaine festival in Naas with record crowds, there was an invaluable input from Civil Defence and we thank it for that.
While I welcome the introduction of the Bill and the Green Party group fully supports it because it will provide a modern and fit-for-purpose legislative framework for the organisation, I wonder whether we are missing an opportunity to provide a firm basis for allowing members to train and exercise abroad and also, if necessary, to deploy and assist others in times of crisis around the world.
Following the recent earthquakes in Turkey and Syria, Ireland was one of an extremely small number of member states of the EU that did not officially offer either a medical response or a search team on the ground. As I said, the Civil Defence touches every county in this country and every community owes it a debt of gratitude. It richly deserves our continued support in the most tangible, effective way possible, including forward planning for its next 70 years.
I thank my colleague from County Kildare for the introduction. The Minister of State is very welcome to the House. I welcome the Bill, as does my party, the Labour Party. As has been said by colleagues, the Bill is long overdue given the importance of the Civil Defence to us all in our communities. This Bill will underpin an organisation that has been at the heart of community events in Ireland since the 1950s. As has been said, we are incredibly proud of the Civil Defence in County Kildare where Patricia McNeela is the Civil Defence officer.
The purpose of the Civil Defence Bill 2023 is to modernise and reform the current legislative basis for the Civil Defence organisation. There is a requirement to do this as the existing regulatory framework consisting of enactments dating from 1939 to 2012 no longer provides a comprehensive statutory basis for Civil Defence matters. The Bill does not propose any radical changes to the operations of the Civil Defence. It addresses the role of the Minister for Defence, the responsibilities of local authorities, the appointment of Civil Defence volunteers and the preparation on a regular basis of civil defence plans by local authorities.
Reference has been made to the number of Civil Defence members in recent years. I am aware that the White Paper mentioned 4,000 members in 2015. The Minister of State mentioned that we have in the region of 2,500 volunteers today. I wish to raise three key asks about areas I would like to discuss. Some of them have already been mentioned. The first relates to funding. It has been stated that under the current model of funding, 70% comes from the Department of Defence and 30% from local authorities. The Minister of State mentioned that he does not envisage any changes in this funding model but I ask him to look at it again. Given the importance of the Civil Defence to us all, it is vital that it is funded appropriately and very much in a timely manner. There can be no situation when an important operational matter is under threat due to a lack of funding. I would appreciate if the Minister of State would comment further on the current model of funding and see if there is a way of improving it. I reiterate the request already made for him to explain the funding and how the 70:30 arrangement was arrived at.
Allied to the question of funding is the need for uniformity in how the Civil Defence operates from a storage, meeting and training point of view. I am aware of some local authorities developing and constructing very modern premises for storage, training and meetings, while other locations are, to say the least, that bit older. I support Senator McGreehan's call for an audit. I ask for a report to be completed on the current facilities of these wonderful community groups throughout the State with a view to standardising the facilities. In light of what we have all said about how important the Civil Defence is to us in our communities, what has been said today about some of the facilities I am aware of is that some are modern while others are not so modern. We must have a standard that will attract people into the Civil Defence. It may not be a barrier but an issue that is regularly raised with me relates to attending meetings in cold premises. We need to do a report. The Department could do such an audit or report in association with local authorities and try to standardise the facilities that are available to the Civil Defence.
The third ask I have for the Minister of State relates to communication. I hope this Bill will go some way towards addressing that. We are aware of the Minister of State's remit in the Department of Defence and also that the Civil Defence comes under the remit of local authorities. Its association with those two entities reflects what the Civil Defence does on a daily basis. I hope the Minister of State can confirm that the Bill will standardise communications throughout the organisation so that everybody knows what the jobs and roles are. That is very important. We do not want to be waiting on one Department or local authority to communicate in a proper and timely manner. Communication is key, given the urgency described by fellow Members, from several points of view concerning the involvement of the Civil Defence in this country. I welcome the Bill. I hope it will be a fulcrum to enhance the situation and ensure that communications are important and happen in a timely manner.
I will use my knowledge of the Civil Defence in my county of Kildare. As my colleague and I have previously stated, we can never thank the members of the Civil Defence enough for the great work they carry out in communities in Kildare under the leadership of the Civil Defence officer, Ms Patricia McNeela. They have never been found wanting. The local group is at every event – festival, community occasion and civil occasion - in my home town of Athy. It can be counted on to provide the expertise, security and knowledge that allow these great events to occur and, most important, to occur without major incident.
I acknowledge the local officer in Athy, Jimmy Byrne. During my time on Athy Municipal District Council he was recognised for his work locally, in particular with the Civil Defence, with a local hero award from the council. That is what those involved in the Civil Defence mean to so many communities. They are local heroes. Like Jimmy Byrne, they are involved in the planning of an event from the start. When everybody else has gone home, they will be the last to leave. It is only right that we recognise the work of the Civil Defence.
It is very important that we acknowledge the work of the Civil Defence through this Bill, on which I look forward to working with the Minister of State. I also look forward to his response on the three points I and other Members have raised. I am especially concerned about the numbers that have been highlighted because without the Civil Defence, many of the festivals and community events simply would not happen. That is something we cannot contemplate or allow to happen. I look forward to the Minister of State's reply. I will support the Bill on behalf of the Labour Party as it makes its way through the House.
I concur with Senator Wall's comments on the work of the Civil Defence. I remember at the time of the serious floods in County Clare in 2010 and the big freeze in 2009 the work done by the Civil Defence was extraordinary. As we have no other speakers offering, I call on the Minister of State to conclude.
I thank all the Members of the House who spoke for their constructive contributions to this debate. I wholeheartedly agree with all of the words of support and encouragement from all sides of the House regarding the Civil Defence.
I am pleased to bring this Bill before the House on behalf of the Tánaiste. As I stated in my opening remarks, although it is a relatively short Bill, it addresses some important matters concerning the Civil Defence and its work. Before commenting on the Bill itself, I recognise the continuing and ongoing contribution of Civil Defence volunteers during the Covid-19 pandemic and the ongoing support it provides to Ukrainians seeking protection in Ireland. As always, the Civil Defence volunteers have made their presence count at times of need. As I outlined in my opening remarks, the commitment of Civil Defence volunteers is truly inspiring.
I will comment on a few of the issues that were raised. I acknowledge Senator Joe O'Reilly's full support for the organisation. He spoke about capturing the volunteerism they provide in the communities in which we reside. Regarding issues or investigations, currently, we are not aware of any concerns at this point about members of the Civil Defence, which underscores their professionalism and how much they give to our communities.
Senator McDowell raised a number of issues relating to recruitment. Covid has been a very difficult period for all organisations and recruitment to the Civil Defence was suspended for two years during that time. While many members of the Civil Defence were on the front line protecting our communities and assisting local authorities, given the health regulations at that time, there was neither the capacity nor the time to focus on recruitment. A significant effort is now being made to recruit more Civil Defence volunteers.
This register is an updated one, which will more accurately reflect the membership of Civil Defence right across the country. I concur with Senator McDowell that it is important to underscore that volunteerism and work hard to commend it. Regarding his comments on the Defence Forces, the Commission on the Defence Forces will bring us to level of ambition 2, LOA2, and will see the State spending approximately €1.5 billion by 2028, updating our Defence Forces. That will be key to modernising all sectors of our Defence Forces and their capacity, which will be critical.
The Senator also made reference to aircraft. There is currently a contract out for the provision of two new maritime patrol aircraft, replacing the CASA 235 with the Airbus C295. There is also a contract to upgrade our radar, which we heard about in recent weeks. Procurement is being worked on for all of those areas we can enhance, which is important for our Defence Forces.
Senator McGreehan raised some important points, first about supporting volunteers, and second about our buildings and their capacity. I note the Department of Defence provides a one-off grant of, potentially, €150,000 to upgrade new premises. Some local authorities have supplied bespoke units themselves. They have acquired and purchased them. Some have actually developed them from scratch. Different models are operating in different local authorities.
Many Members raised the 70:30 funding breakdown with regard to Civil Defence. We have an increase in funding this year, which is important for the organisation. We have an increase up to €5.4 million, which is a 5% increase on 2022. The Dormant Accounts Fund has supplied about €3.4 million since 2019, which is also important. The Department of Defence works with special allocations for equipment and buildings. Moneys can also be granted for the Civil Defence officer and assistant officer as well as fuel costs, some training and vehicle access. All of that comes directly from the Department of Defence. All of those issues are catered for in conjunction with the local authorities. The value for the local community, versus the Department, has to be recognised. The allocation of 30% from local authorities is reasonable. The Government has to work at providing them with the conditions - in other words, to ensure that they have the capital infrastructure they need, and the buildings they need. When volunteers come into organisations, we need to ensure they are treated with respect, and have the conditions and support to discharge their duties on behalf of the community. That is very important and the Government is focused on doing that.
In response to Senator Martin, the by-laws will focus on core services, as set out in the policy document, Civil Defence - Towards 2030. Those relate to emergency response, search and rescue, medical response, community assistance and maintaining services. The Civil Defence code of practice will set out procedures relating to the suspension and revocation of Civil Defence volunteers, grievance and disciplinary procedures for Civil Defence volunteers and standards of conduct and integrity for Civil Defence volunteers when carrying out their duties. I have already mentioned the funding aspect.
Senator Wall rightly pointed out two or three important issues. The funding and capital funding have been mentioned. This will enhance co-operation and communication between units. I know Civil Defence units are independent, but they will now regularly assist each other with joint training, joint operations and trying to streamline communications and sharing of equipment. As the Senator rightly pointed out, that is important. What he said about Jimmy Byrne in his own locality underscores the importance of Civil Defence. They absolutely are local heroes. That term captures their value and what they do for our community every day of the week. They are among the key first responders.
As I stated in my opening remarks, the Bill does not propose any radical changes to the operation of Civil Defence. However, following the commitment to the White Paper on Defence and the Civil Defence - Towards 2030 policy document, this is an important time to take the opportunity to put in place comprehensive legislation on the Civil Defence, which consolidates the existing outdated and piecemeal body of legislation. The new legislation will support the continued and future development of Civil Defence. I thank everybody for their contributions. There will be an important opportunity on Committee Stage for further consideration of the Bill by Members. I commend the Bill to the House.
Before I get to the formalities, and even though they have just left the Chamber, I welcome pupils from Kilcloon National School, who are here as guests of Minister of State, Deputy Thomas Byrne. I was not going to interrupt the Minister of State, Deputy Burke, to say that, but somebody will tell them that their name is on the record of the House.
Question put and agreed to.
When is it proposed to take Committee Stage?
Next Tuesday.
Is that agreed? Agreed.
Committee Stage ordered for Tuesday, 23 May 2023.
Cuireadh an Seanad ar fionraí ar 12.45 p.m. agus cuireadh tús leis arís ar 1.15 p.m.
Sitting suspended at 12.45 p.m. and resumed at 1.15 p.m.