Vol. 396 No. 9
61 Mr. Durkan asked the Minister for Defence whether officers or members of the Civil Defence are given training to cater for any obligations which may be laid down under the Safety in the Workplace Act, 1989; if it is proposed to introduce any such training; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
The Civil Defence Volunteer Organisation at large operates, under direction from my Department, as part of the emergency service available to the local authorities. The paid element of the organisation are employees of the local authorities and, as such, come within the arrangements being set up by the local authorities in compliance with documents setting out guidelines issued by the Local Government Staff Negotiations Board since the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act came into force on 1 November 1989; the latest such document entitled Preparation of Safety Statement, issued last month.
My Department has set in train the necessary steps to give effect to the provisions of the Act in so far as they pertain to its civilian employees, and these will be applied also to the staff engaged in instruction at the Civil Defence School.
The Civil Defence volunteers as such do not fall within the scope of the Act as they are not employees as defined in the Act. Nevertheless, the whole ethos of civil defence turns on the concept that the volunteers will not put themselves at undue risk in responding to emergencies or in embarking on training or other exercises. The organisation has an excellent record in this regard. All Civil Defence training manuals contain safety instructions and these are now being examined for full compatibility with the provisions of the Act.
