Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 20 March 2018
18. Deputy Aengus Ó Snodaigh asked the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence the number of persons on the waiting list to join the Civil Defence by local authority; the reason for the delay in providing the training to those on the list; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12716/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Department of Defence is charged with the management and development of Civil Defence at national level. The Department provides policy direction, centralised training through the Civil Defence College, administrative support and guidance and centralised procurement of major items of uniform and equipment in support of local authority Civil Defence efforts.
Civil Defence services are delivered through the Civil Defence Officer (CDO) of the relevant Local Authority for that area. The CDO is a full time employee of the local authority and is responsible for the day-to-day management of Civil Defence matters under the overall direction of the relevant Chief Executive.
The legal basis for the recruitment of Civil Defence members is set out in Section 15 of the Civil Defence Act 2012. Civil Defence volunteers are recruited, trained and managed through the local authority. It is for each Civil Defence Unit to determine the appropriate number of volunteers required in the Unit. The Unit size varies between counties due to factors such as the population and geographic size of the county. The presence or absence of other voluntary emergency service groups (such as the Order of Malta, St Johns Ambulance and the Red Cross) in a county has an impact on the size of the Civil Defence Unit. Civil Defence training has become increasingly professionalised in recent years and many Units have tended to favour having smaller numbers of more highly trained volunteers.
As volunteers are recruited through each local authority my Department does not have any information on the number of persons waiting to join Civil Defence. I understand that it is the practice of Civil Defence Units to bring in groups of recruits on a periodic basis, typically once a year. New recruits undergo an induction process and it is more efficient to provide this initial training to a group of recruits rather than on an individual basis.
