Michael D. Higgins
Ceist:32 Mr. M. Higgins asked the Minister for Defence if he will outline the role of the FCA in the national emergency/disaster plan.
Written Answers. - Emergency/Disaster Plan.
The FCA do not have a specific role in the peacetime nuclear accident plan which the Department of Energy have put in place nor in the major accident plans of the local authorities but, in a wartime nuclear emergency, would contribute to the response of the Army Observer Corps to the wartime threat. To date, over 1,000 FCA personnel have been trained in the monitoring of radiation levels in such an emergency, and this training is ongoing on the relevant instrumentation and procedures. These personnel would operate from 97 locations throughout the State.