Michael Smith (Tipperary North, Fianna Fail)

It is patent nonsense to suggest there is a developing crisis within the Civil Defence Board. I am involved in a course of action on the position of its chairman and I have valid and strong reasons for embarking on this course of action. As the process is ongoing, it would be inappropriate for me to make further comment at this stage. I expect that the matter will come to a conclusion within the next two weeks.

Last month, I had the pleasure of attending a major Civil Defence exercise in Sligo. In the course of my address to the Civil Defence members who had participated in the exercise, I expressed my pride in and commitment to the organisation. The Government is grateful to each member of the Civil Defence for his or her commitment and huge contribution to the organisation, local communities and the wider public.

As a strong believer and advocate of the Civil Defence, I have always been of the view that the organisation must be properly equipped to carry out its duties. I am very pleased to say that since I became Minister for Defence in 1997, over €7 million has been expended on the purchase of equipment by the Department of Defence for issue to local authorities for Civil Defence use. This equipment includes a total of 116 vehicles of all types with a total purchase value of €2.6 million, protective clothing and specialised footwear to a value of over €2 million and 22 inflatable boats to a value of €300,000 for use in river, lake and shore rescue operations. This expenditure has been facilitated by the increase in the Civil Defence budget of €635,000 per annum since 2000, as promised in the White Paper on Defence. While part of this funding has been directed to increased training grants for local authorities, the majority has been used to augment the quantity and quality of Civil Defence equipment.

The invaluable assistance provided by Civil Defence volunteers in times of national crisis, including the recent foot and mouth disease threat, together with the major role played by the Civil Defence in flood relief efforts in Dublin and adjoining counties, the midlands, south and west has justifiably been recognised by the public. More recently, the extensive involvement of the Civil Defence in the Special Olympics World Games around the country and in the ceremonies at Croke Park has considerably raised the profile of the organisation. The decentralisation of Civil Defence headquarters to Roscrea is in its final stages. The organisation will be moving into its new offices during the summer.

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