Ms Aileen Nolan:

The next question was sort of connected to that issue. It asked whether there is a role for the Civil Defence in sending people abroad, such as to Syria, for example. As I outlined, Government policy on Civil Defence is to support PRAs in responding to national, regional and local emergencies in Ireland. There is no role in current Government policy for the Civil Defence to deploy overseas. There are a number of issues in that regard. Mr. Conroy mentioned that there would be practical issues with sending volunteers overseas. They might receive the training but then be unable or unwilling to go overseas. Aside from that, I am aware the National Directorate for Fire and Emergency Management is currently considering the area of urban search and rescue. It has set up a subgroup that is considering the level of urban search and rescue required. This came up in the context of the Government task force on emergency planning and the question of whether Ireland should have capacity to send people abroad was raised. That sort of falls within the remit of the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, which is considering the matter. It is not currently an option for Civil Defence.

The next question related to promotion systems. That was addressed previously.

The next question related to radiation monitoring and the role of the Civil Defence in that regard.