I move: "That the Bill be now read a Second Time."
I am pleased to present this Bill to the House. The Bill provides for the establishment of a dedicated Civil Defence Board, funded by the State, which will be representative of its principal stakeholders involved such as Government Departments, State agencies, county managers, Civil Defence officers and volunteers together with outside expertise.
The purpose of the Bill is twofold. Firstly, its purpose is to update Civil Defence legislation generally. Civil Defence currently operates under the Air Raid Precautions Acts, 1939 and 1946 and a number of emergency powers orders. The various powers conferred by the aforementioned legislation, which was brought about by the climate of uncertainty created during and after the Second World War and later by the Cold War, will remain unaffected by the introduction of this Bill except for two minor provisions of the 1939 Act to which I will refer. This Bill will provide the necessary legislative framework for the future development of the Civil Defence organisation. The creation of such a framework to enhance the development of Civil Defence to the year 2010 and beyond was an important element of the chapter on Civil Defence contained in the Government's White Paper on Defence published in February 2000. I am pleased to say that as the Minister with delegated responsibility for Civil Defence I have honoured the policy commitment to create that framework by introducing this Bill.
Secondly, the Bill will provide for the establishment of a board of management to be known as An Bord Cosanta Sibhialta or, in English, the Civil Defence Board which will, in general, oversee, supervise and co-ordinate the operation and future development of Civil Defence at national level, in co-operation with and in support of all the major emergency services such as the Garda, fire service, ambulance service and coastguard. The board will also advise the Minister on policy issues and will, in effect, carry out all of the non-policy roles relating to Civil Defence that have up to now been carried out with distinction by the Civil Defence branch of the Department of Defence. Political accountability to the Oireachtas for the discharge of its functions by the new board will, of course, remain with me as the Minister responsible.
Civil Defence was originally set up in 1950 to be part of the national defence structure. It was designed to undertake non-combatant activities and measures to afford defence against, mitigate, minimise and forestall the effects on persons and property of an attack on the State or of hazards otherwise arising from war-like weapons, radioactive fallout or biological or chemical warfare and, in particular, includes measures taken under the Air Raid Precautions Act, 1939. Civil Defence currently operates under the Air Raid Precautions Acts of 1939 and 1946, the Local Government Acts of 1941, 1955, 1960, 1963, 1976, and various statutory instruments. The Minister for Defence delegates responsibility for Civil Defence to the Minister of State at the Department of Defence. The Civil Defence branch of the Department of Defence facilitates, through the local authorities, civil defence responses for emergency relief and support to ensure the operation of vital services and the maintenance of public life and to provide other community supports as directed by the Government.
The work of the branch involves inter alia planning, organising, financing, training and equipping the local authorities. The Department of Defence currently pays 70% of the approved Civil Defence expenditure in each local authority area and this arrangement will continue under the new Bill. The Department provides equipment such as vehicles, boating equipment, rescue and other equipment, uniforms and protective items as required to support the provision of various local services. The new board will invigorate the organisation in the planning, recruiting, training and equipment areas.
Each local authority provides Civil Defence services that are administered by a designated officer, 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 and evacuee care, land and water search and radiation monitoring. Civil Defence provides the community with trained teams who can and do assist in an emergency or support local community events.
With the end of the Cold War, the principal focus of Civil Defence in the 1990s changed to one of community support and emergency response. This was highlighted with the launch in 1992 of the development programme Towards 2000 which was designed to put in place the structures and develop the skills that would enable the organisation to face the future challenges. The aim of the programme was to develop Civil Defence as a top class second-line emergency service within the local community. The Department of Defence introduced an organisational, training, equipment and logistical support programme to facilitate meeting the Towards 2000 objectives.
Civil Defence members are very dedicated and highly committed to the idea of voluntary community service, and I salute them for their work. They are part of a structured and disciplined uniformed organisation under the direction of the local authority Civil Defence officer. A programme of national exercises which are conducted each year provides opportunities for large scale exercising of the members, which helps to broaden and improve skills, and a forum to inject external influence and expertise into the organisation. These exercises provide an opportunity for objective assessment of performance by their instructors or personnel from the primary emergency services. I thank the primary emergency services for their help in this regard.
Equipment purchase and logistical support development have been progressing in accordance with the Towards 2000 programme. A primary focus in recent years has been upgrading the ambulance and transport fleet and completing the radio communications network. These are now to a very high standard and I and the Government are committed to maintaining the equipment at a high standard.
The review that ultimately culminated in the launch of the Towards 2000 programme was aimed at giving the volunteer organisation a current operational role in society, to make it productive and to have a resource available, if required, in wartime. It took account of the fact that planning structures that would emerge for any future national emergency would be different from those originally envisaged for Civil Defence. Any new formation would be based on the framework of the major emergency plan which was being employed to organise the emergency responses of local authorities, the Garda Síochána and health boards. The Civil Defence can take its place along side the other services and this will continue to be the focus for the organisation in the future.
Since 1992, the organisation has been learning to operate in close support of the front-line emergency services and so integrate in a meaningful way into the day-to-day emergency planning structures. This has allowed the Civil Defence organisation to focus on serving the needs of local communities. As I have already said, this trend will be continued and developed under the new legislation, which I introduce today. Generally feedback from stakeholders with regard to Civil Defence is positive and this was confirmed in the consultative process undertaken in the context of the White Paper which demonstrated without doubt the commitment of those involved in Civil Defence. The submissions were very supportive of the progress made under the Towards 2000 programme without forgetting the valuable work undertaken by members over many years.
The Civil Defence volunteer force is maintained at a very modest cost, has a substantial history of working at supporting its local and national community in times of need and has maintained its voluntary ethos even while working side by side with the full and part-time professional services. The voluntary nature of the organisation will be preserved. There is a particular culture and ethos associated with voluntary activity which is widely recognised as being important in community life. This must be nurtured at all levels by continuing to build co-operative relationships with other service organisations but maintaining the distinctiveness of Civil Defence. The volunteer nature of the Civil Defence organisation gives each citizen the opportunity to serve his or her community and it is the public face of the delivery of local authority services at many events.
The progress of the Better Local Government initiative of the Department of the Environment and Local Government highlights the importance of such factors.
Following on from the commitment to create a modern legislative framework that I mentioned earlier and well in advance of the horrific events of 11 September last, I reviewed the operations of Civil Defence and concluded that the best way forward for the further development of Civil Defence into a first class second line emergency service, working in support of the first line services while retaining its focus on community support and most importantly its voluntary ethos, would be by bringing the organisation under the control of a dedicated board of management.
In any organisation geared to emergency response and community support, the quality of the training which the volunteer receives is of paramount importance if that organisation is to flourish and meet the needs of the community while providing the right environment for both developing and retaining the services of qualified volunteers and for attracting new members. Under this Bill, the new Civil Defence board will be empowered to initiate and foster contacts with other Departments and State authorities, external educational and research institutions, both national and international, as well as utilising its own resources to enable it to develop optimum standards for the training of volunteers.
As is common to all voluntary organisations in modern times, recruiting new Civil Defence members and retaining their services has proved difficult for the organisation. There is a wide variety of alternative attractions available to people of all ages, particularly to young people, to which to devote their spare time and, consequently, it is my intention that under this Bill, the Civil Defence board will devote a considerable portion of its energies to recruitment of new members and to retaining the services of existing members.
Section 7 is the pivotal provision as it brings An Bord Cosanta Sibhialta, or the Civil Defence Board, into existence on the establishment day. That day will be appointed by order of the Minister under section 4. Section 8 sets out the many and varied functions of the Civil Defence Board. Of paramount importance is the provision in section 8(h) for the board to advise the Minister for Defence on policy matters relating to civil defence on its own initiative or at the request of the Minister. It is my intention under this Bill that the board, which will be comprised of individuals and representatives dedicated to the future development of the organisation, will carry out its functions in an independent manner outside everyday ministerial or departmental control and will develop its own programmes and initiatives within general policy guidelines as provided in section 8(o).
Among the board's other principal functions are the promotion, development and maintenance of Civil Defence as an effective voluntary service in support of the front line emergency services and in full co-operation with local authorities and with other State authorities and agencies as required. Civil Defence is essentially an emergency response organisation and while the board will be empowered to develop training, educational, planning, operational, and other standards particular to civil defence, this Bill provides for the board to carry out its functions in consultation and in co-operation with the various authorities responsible for the delivery of front line emergency services, particularly local authorities.
A very important function for the new board will be promoting the role of Civil Defence in providing services to the community at local level and in developing programmes to enhance those services. The development of the community support services provided by Civil Defence have evolved since the ending of the Cold War and the threat from the old communist bloc of nations in eastern Europe but were given particular focus by the Towards 2000 development programme for Civil Defence introduced in 1992. They were then copperfastened as part of the policy framework for the future of Civil Defence set out in the White Paper in February of 2000. While Schedule 3 sets out the type of community support programmes to be developed by the board arising from section 8(3), it is not exhaustive in itself and the new board will be able to develop other community support services within the limits of its own resources and in support of the emergency services.
Section 8 (e) provides for the board to develop plans and improve standards of civil defence education, training, knowledge, skill and equipment. These will be vital functions for the board as training, in particular, is the mainstay of any emergency response organisation. To assist it in that regard 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 at home and abroad. I am confident that with these provisions in place the new board will be sufficiently equipped to develop the training and skill base of the organisation to a such a level as to provide for the broad and mean ingful development of existing members and also to provide an attractive platform for recruiting new members.
In regard to equipment, I remind Deputies that with the introduction of the White Paper in 2000, the Government underlined its commitment to Civil Defence by providing an additional €635,000 per annum for 2000 and the following years to be spent on equipment and training. I am pleased to say that, in terms of equipment, this additional funding has been spent on protective clothing for volunteers as well as the purchase of more boats and vehicles.
In developing its training and equipment plans the board will, under section 8(e), have to take account of existing and future plans of Government and State agencies whose activities relate to civil defence. In addition to supporting Civil Defence planning at national level, at section 8 (a), provision is made at section 8(j) for the board, in consultation with those Government and State agencies, to contribute to the development of Civil Defence measures internationally which I believe is particularly appropriate in dealing with the consequences of horrific events such as those of 11 September last.
There is provision in section 8(f) for the board to promote public awareness programmes in relation to Civil Defence and I expect that, in addition to providing a valuable service to the public, the new board will utilise this new provision to elevate the profile of the organisation in the public mind. This should prove useful to the board in carrying out the vital functions of recruiting new members to Civil Defence, in conjunction with local authorities, as provided for at section 8(k). A regular intake of new recruits is vital for the vibrancy of any voluntary organisation and I consider this function so important for the future of Civil Defence that I have provided later in the Bill, at section 27(4), for a committee of the board to be constituted specifically for that purpose. To conclude the functions provisions in the Bill I have included the standard provision at section 8(4) to allow for additional connected functions to be conferred on the board by the Minister after consultation, as appropriate.
Section 9 provides for the transfer of two functions of the Minister under the Air Raid Precautions Act, 1939, which I consider pertinent to the effective management of the organisation, to be transferred to the new board. Sections 60 and 61 of the 1939 Act allow for the training of persons and the provision and storage of equipment for civil defence purposes and related matters. In addition, section 9(1)(b) provides for the board to administer any compensation scheme for injury to persons engaged in Civil Defence activities put in place or introduced by the Minister. However, I must recognise that in the modern world in which we now live and taking account of international developments, such as the 11 September scenario, the possibility or probability 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, therefore, propose to introduce an amendment to the Bill on Committee Stage which would allow the Minister, on foot of a Government order declaring that a situation of major or national emergency had arisen, to take over the functions of the board for the duration. I emphasise, however, that this provision could only be exercised on foot of a major disaster and only with the full authority of the Government.
Section 10 deals with the composition of the Civil Defence board which should not comprise more than 12 members. I intend this board to be as focused and efficient as possible in carrying out its functions and, therefore, any more than 12 members could be unwieldy. Consequently, I propose to bring forward an amendment to that effect on Committee Stage.
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 of the organisation. The City and County Managers Association will be represented on the board. It is essential that a body representative of the people with day to day operational control of Civil Defence at local level has an input into all decisions affecting the future development of the organisation. The operational experience gained by managers in overseeing the activities of Civil Defence officers and volunteers in day to day operations assisting local communities, in addition to their expertise at the head of the local authority first line emergency services in their area, will be of invaluable assistance to the new board in its deliberations.
The Bill also provides for up to four persons with external expertise to be members of the new board and assist the board by bringing their broad experience to bear on its work. I envisage these persons to be broadly representative of commercial, industrial and administrative interests countrywide and that they will assist the board with the benefit of their experience gained outside of the normal Civil Service structures. I would see particular relevance for the application of such expertise to developing the concept of strategic planning within the board structure and to providing impetus to developing proposals for the recruitment of new members to the organisation.
It is vital for the Department charged with responsibility for co-ordinating the emergency plans of local authorities and with a supervisory and co-ordinating role in relation to all local authority activities to be represented on the new board. Consequently, the Bill provides for a representative from the Department of the Environment and Local Government, with expertise in emergency planning to be a member of the board. The combination of their strategic experience in emergency planning at departmental and interdepartmental level and hands on experience of dealing with the first-line emergency services of local authorities will be of invaluable assistance to the board in carrying out its functions and in preparing its development plans.
It is important in terms of national emergency planning that the Radiological Protection Institute of Ireland be represented on the new board. With the many threats to our environment now evident, it is important that whatever first line service is charged with combating the particular threat can call on the resources of Civil Defence to support it in its endeavours. Having an EPA representative on the board will be of great assistance in developing strategies to offer support in such circumstances.
The Civil Defence officer, CDO, is the person charged with maintaining and developing the organisation at local authority level. The CDO, who is a full time local authority employee, is the pivotal contact between the local authority and the volunteers on the ground. He or she recruits, trains, equips and manages the many tasks demanded of the Civil Defence in its day-to-day operations. The CDO liaises with the Department on operational and monetary matters and, through the city-county manager, formulates and arranges for the implementation of Civil Defence plans. The Civil Defence Officers Association, CDOA, is a national organisation representative of CDOs and assistant CDOs and liaises with the Department on an ongoing basis on matters affecting its members. I consider it appropriate, therefore, that this organisation should be represented on the board and contribute to the management of the organisation.
I now turn to the most important member of any voluntary organisation, the volunteer. Without its volunteers, the Civil Defence would not and could not exist. It is vital that the voluntary ethos of the organisation is maintained and strengthened by this Bill. I consider it prudent and appropriate that the voice of the volunteer be clearly available on the management board and I have provided for this at section 10(h)(i).
In line with best management practice and with the ethos of partnership I believe it is important that a member of staff is appointed to the board of management. This will provide a balance between staff and management as the board conducts its affairs and develops its strategic objectives. Section 10(4) provides for one member of the board to be designated as chairperson and section 11 contains related standard provisions regarding chairpersons. I also propose to bring forward an amendment on Committee Stage to section 13 and, consequently, Schedule 4 which will provide for a permanent civil servant to be designated as the first director general of the board. The combined efforts of the strategists and administrators in the branch and the instructor and technical personnel in the school have steered the organisation through many difficult situations from assisting with flood relief to combating the effects of foot and mouth disease and they deserve our gratitude for developing it to the stage it is at today. The enthusiasm of personnel in the branch in dealing with volunteer members at the school and on various exercises in all parts of the country was a major factor in sustaining the interest of the volunteers in the Civil Defence. It is important that the impetus of this Civil Service expertise should continue and develop in managing the Civil Defence of the future and that the position of director general will be pivotal in that regard.
Section 14 which provides for the board to engage, as appropriate, outside expertise will be an important provision for the development of strategic planning in the organisation. Funding will obviously be of vital importance and provision is made at section 19 for the Minister to provide that funding by way of grant-in-aid to the board from the Defence Vote. This will replace the payment of grants-in-aid from the Department to local authorities and give the board a wide autonomy in determining the distribution of the funding to the various local authorities. There will be no diminution in the funding being made available to the board as compared to the level of funding made available heretofore. As I pointed out earlier the Government is committed to additional funding for Civil Defence. The grant-in-aid will also provide for funding the salary and related costs for the staff of the board.
Sections 21 and 22 contain standard provisions for dealing with gifts and for the accounts of the board to be prepared as appropriate and submitted to the Comptroller and Auditor General and for the audited accounts to be laid before each House of the Oireachtas. In light of ongoing discussions between officials of the Department and the Department of Finance, I may propose an amendment on Committee Stage to delete the provisions contained in sections 23 and 24 of the Bill regarding the accountability of the Secretary General to the Committee of Public Accounts and other Oireachtas committees as the obligations contained therein are sufficiently provided for in the Public Service Management Act, 1997 and other legislation.
Provision is made in section 25 for the board to make an annual report and other reports to the Minister as he-she may require or as the board may think fit. Section 26 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 27 provides for the board to establish committees of the board, in particular four named committees, to carry out the its work. I have already mentioned the recruitment committee and, for strategic development, the planning and development committee will be vital. However, in so far as the volunteers are concerned the education and training and health, safety and procurement committees will be of most relevance to them.
I have already mentioned the importance of training to the Civil Defence but in executing the training and delivering Civil Defence services, the health and safety of the volunteers and staff and their confidence in the equipment they use is of paramount importance if the organisation is to be sustained. Section 29 provides for the board to submit a strategic plan to the Minister setting out its key objectives and strategies to be reviewed every three years. Section 30 provides for each local authority to submit a Civil Defence plan to the board setting out its key objectives and strategies and these plans are intended to form the basis for the board to submit its plan to the Minister under section 29. I am confident that this process of strategic planning and the implementation of these plans will permeate throughout the organisation from management down to the newest recruit, lead to a sense of empowerment at local level and give renewed focus to the overall development of Civil Defence.
I am providing at sections 33 and 34 for the board to develop its policy for formalising the recruitment and registration process for Civil Defence members. With regard to section 35 and the staffing provisions in the Bill, I have considered this matter further in order to ensure developmental and career opportunities for staff of the board and to allow for a source of new blood. I am also considering introducing an amendment to establish a chief Civil Defence officer who will be a uniformed member.
Schedule 1 to the Bill provides for the definition of Civil Defence to be identical to that already contained in the Geneva Conventions (Amendment) Act, 1998 which gives a broad and internationally recognised definition of the tasks in which the Civil Defence can be involved and, more importantly, 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. The Bill represents a landmark development in that regard, being the first piece of Civil Defence legislation in over 50 years and I look forward to hearing Deputies' views.
I commend the Bill to the House.