The Deputy deviated a bit from his question so I will begin by answering the question that was submitted by the Deputy.
The Office of Public Works, OPW, has a lead co-ordination role in flood risk management generally but it does not play a lead role in responding to flood events, which is the responsibility of the local authorities. The local authorities are required to plan and prepare for such events in accordance with the general arrangements for co-ordination of the front-line emergency services set out in the framework for major emergency management which comes under the remit of the Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government. That Department is the lead Department for co-ordinating the response to severe weather.
The response to all emergencies is appropriately locally led in the first instance through the three designated principal response agencies of An Garda Síochána, local authorities and the Health Service Executive which respond to assist citizens in need and manage consequences at local level. Specific guidance for responding to severe weather events is outlined in A Guide to Flood Emergencies 2013 and A Guide to Severe Weather Events 2010. Local authorities have severe weather sub-plans in place based on this guidance material.
Met Éireann and the Office of Public Works alert local authorities directly when severe weather, high tides or storm surges are forecast, and such warnings are received by a severe weather assessment team within a local authority. The severe weather assessment team takes the appropriate action to scale a response and to ensure resources are in place to support a response. During last winter’s flooding, this approach helped to anticipate and prepare for the response required by local authorities.
The procedures for co-ordination of emergencies at national level, such as flooding events, are set out in the Guidelines for Coordinating a National-Level Emergency/Crisis Response, published by the Office of Emergency Planning in the Department of Defence in 2011.