Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 24 November 2022
46. Deputy Marc Ó Cathasaigh asked the Minister for Defence his plans to improve the capacity of the Office of Emergency Planning in view of the increasing frequency and impact of adverse weather events due to climate change; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [58349/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Office of Emergency Planning in my Department acts as the secretariat to the Government Task Force on Emergency Planning. The Office of Emergency Planning is responsible for the maintenance and upkeep of the National Emergency Coordination Centre and for coordinating emergency planning arrangements across government, which is achieved through the Strategic Emergency Management, National Structures and Framework (SEM) suite of documents.
Annex 'A' of SEM outlines lead government department responsibility for each of 50 emergency types. The lead government department allocated responsibility for planning for, responding to and recovering from severe weather events is the Department of Housing Local Government and Heritage.
The Office of Emergency Planning is required to convene a National Emergency Coordination Group meeting within 1 hour of notification by a lead government department. In the case of a national emergency being declared by the Department of Housing Local Government and Heritage as a result of a severe weather incident, the Office of Emergency Planning is sufficiently resourced to meet this requirement, as it is for all types of emergencies.
