Tom Clonan (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I thank our guests for coming in. I can imagine how busy they are at the moment. I will make the general observation that we would not be where we are were it not for the actions of Vladimir Putin. This is an unprecedented situation. I would consider it an emergency. We can look back to crises we have confronted in the past. In 2010, there was a period of intense flooding followed by a prolonged period of snow and ice. That crisis took place more or less in slow motion. At the beginning, with the flooding, local authorities would arrive out to a block of apartments and say it could not operate because it was private property and residents would have to contact the management company to do the necessary. There was a lack of co-ordination. The relevant Minister at the time, former Deputy John Gormley, who was identified as being responsible for that particular crisis, declared an emergency. By doing so, he was able to mobilise the civil authority. In respect of everything happening at the moment, we have gone beyond the point of crisis and are now in a situation of emergency. It is not anyone's fault because its cause is outside our control. I am wondering what would happen if the lead Department, which is the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, were to declare an emergency.

What is happening at the moment fits precisely the Government's definition of what constitutes an emergency, in that local resources are being overwhelmed and a more co-ordinated response is required at national level. What used to be the national co-ordination committee now resides in the Department of Housing, Heritage and Local Government. I think it is now called the steering committee. If the Minister and the Government were to declare an emergency, they could mobilise all stakeholders to come together. The witnesses spoke about having people from the HSE co-located with them and the difficulties local authorities have with everything from knockweed, across the spectrum to access to water. Would it be helpful for this to be declared an emergency at this point and for the National Emergency Co-ordination Centre, NECC, to be put in place so that all stakeholders could get together and work on this in a more co-ordinated way?

On the case of people arriving who are in tents on Sandwith Street, Mount Street Lower and elsewhere, I have stated that instead of having people in tents, they could be given access to Army barracks that are in use such as Cathal Brugha Barracks in Rathmines or McKee Barracks in Blackhorse Avenue, not disused barracks. If we declared an emergency and mobilised aid to the civil authority, the Defence Forces could take these people in and put them on hard stands. They could set up their tents there, as a temporary measure to alleviate an emergency. We did it before in 1992 when there was severe weather during a homelessness crisis. The Defence Forces took in homeless people off the streets as a temporary measure to alleviate an emergency. It also happened during the Troubles when we took in thousands of refugees from Northern Ireland. They were housed in operating military premises, not disused military premises that need upgrading. It would mean that hundreds of people who are on the city streets could be in the security of a barracks. An area could be easily and securely cordoned off from the working areas of the barracks. They would have access to accommodation blocks where they could have a shower or use the toilet and go about their day in dignity. At this point in the crisis, I think it is an emergency. Do the witnesses think that would be helpful? Is the Department communicating with the lead Department on this to say we should declare an emergency so we can better mobilise our resources to deal with what we hope will be a short or medium-term emergency, if the international situation resolves one way or another?