Mr. Brian Spain:

As chairman of the Civil Defence Board, I am pleased to have this opportunity to make a presentation to the joint committee on the work of Civil Defence. Civil Defence is a statutory volunteer-based organisation with more than 4,500 trained active members on its volunteer register. The role of Civil Defence is to provide effective support to the front-line emergency services and other community supports as directed. Civil Defence is all about volunteers and the essence of the organisation is its ethos of volunteerism. Civil Defence was set up in 1950 to be part of the national defence structure as the necessary civil response to potential hazards that might arise during a time of war or emergency. Following the establishment of Civil Defence, recruitment of volunteers by local authorities followed at local level. Candidates to attend instructor courses were identified and qualified through centralised training programmes to enable them to instruct at local level.

Arising from the Civil Defence Act 2002, the Civil Defence Board, which is a statutory authority under the aegis of the Department of Defence, was established in 2003 and is charged with the management and development of Civil Defence at national level. However, responsibility for Civil Defence policy remained with the Minister for Defence and the Secretary General of the Department is the Accounting Officer for the board. The board is funded by way of a grant-in-aid from the Department of Defence Vote. The grant-in-aid for 2012 is €5.585 million. Funding for Civil Defence operations at local level is shared on a 70:30 basis between the board and local authorities. The board provides policy direction, centralised training, administrative support and guidance, technical support and centralised procurement of major items of uniform and equipment. In July 2011, in line with the current policy of bringing back the functions of many State agencies into their parent Departments, the Government decided to bring forward legislation to dissolve the board and to transfer its functions back into the Department of Defence. In that regard, the Civil Defence Bill 2012 was published on Monday, 22 October 2012, and is expected to come before the Oireachtas shortly.

As the threat of a cold war and major nuclear conflict rescinded, Civil Defence development policy gradually evolved towards a more defined peacetime role for the organisation. That development policy was strongly re-affirmed with the publication of the White Paper on Defence in February 2000. The White Paper also provided for the decentralisation of Civil Defence headquarters and in September 2006, the organisation moved to its headquarters in Roscrea, County Tipperary. Civil Defence also retained the use of its refurbished training range and associated facilities at the rear of its old headquarters at Ratra House in the Phoenix Park, Dublin. Furthermore the framework for major emergency management, published by the Government in 2006, set out the structures for a co-ordinated response to a major emergency by the front-line services, acting in tandem with the support services. The strategic development plans and training programmes for Civil Defence in recent years have very much embraced that support role to the front-line services and community support activities.

The business of Civil Defence is about training of volunteers and emergency preparedness and the Civil Defence training unit is an integral part of Civil Defence headquarters. The primary function of the training unit, in co-operation with local authorities, is to identify and provide the training necessary for Civil Defence volunteers at local authority level to carry out their role. Each year, the unit produces a training programme, which outlines the training available to Civil Defence volunteers. The training unit also provides policy and guidance documents to local authorities. In recent years, the training unit has achieved recognition for the award of certificates by regulatory bodies such as the Pre-Hospital Emergency Care Council, PHECC, and the Further Education and Training Awards Council, FETAC. This has enabled volunteer students to qualify on some courses to the same professional standards as full-time front-line personnel, which is a distinct advantage to students in developing their careers outside of Civil Defence. It is the range of disciplines and skills in which members are trained and the multidisciplined approach to training volunteers that makes Civil Defence unique in terms of response capability. A detailed profile of core disciplines is included in members' briefing material.

Civil Defence operations at local level are under the overall control of the city or county manager. Day-to-day management is carried out by the Civil Defence officer, whose range of duties includes recruitment, training, the management of local operations and exercises and associated administrative tasks. The support of a strong team of senior volunteers is vital if a Civil Defence officer is to effectively manage and develop the organisation at local level. The national profile of Civil Defence was greatly enhanced with the comprehensive and sustained nature of the response by the organisation to the severe weather that affected all parts of the country in 2009-10 and 2010-11. It has been widely acknowledged that the maintenance of HSE outreach services to people in isolated communities would not have been possible without the assistance of Civil Defence during those periods. Ongoing assistance to the front-line services in responding to localised and more widespread flooding has been a feature of Civil Defence activities in recent times. Providing assistance to the Garda in search and rescue and recovery operations for missing persons, both on land and in the water, also has become a regular feature of Civil Defence operations in all areas. Such operations also allow Civil Defence to utilise their training in support of a multi-agency response to an incident, as would be the case in a major emergency. A case in point is the rescue operation following the tragic sinking of the trawler, Tit Bonhomme, in Glandore Harbour, County Cork, in January last where almost 8,000 volunteer hours were given by Civil Defence volunteers and which has been described in more detail in members' briefing material.

In additional to operational activities, the value that Civil Defence brings to communities all over Ireland can be clearly seen in the organisation's support of community events. One need only look at the major role played by Civil Defence during all of the high-profile community events during the summer such as the tall ships festival in Dublin, the Volvo Ocean Race in Galway, the arrival of the Olympic torch in Ireland and the triumphant homecoming of our Olympics heroes, such as Katie Taylor. Civil Defence volunteers also can be seen at hundreds of other community events, both large and small, throughout the country every year.

There is no doubt that the State benefits hugely from the voluntary efforts of Civil Defence members. Equally, there is no doubt that the need to support the front-line services to respond to climatic and other events will remain. Civil Defence will continue to develop in accordance with the policy as set out in the White Paper, that is, to be an effective support to the front-line emergency services and to continue with its community support activities. The decision to bring Civil Defence at national level back into the Department of Defence is a positive development for the organisation. Civil Defence has never stood still. It has evolved to meet the many and varied challenges that have been placed in its path. The sustained investment in equipment and training over recent years, the experience gained in supporting the front-line services at major operations and events, allied to the move back more towards the centre of emergency response arrangements, leaves the organisation well placed to meet the challenges that lie ahead.