Bertie Ahern (Dublin Central, Fianna Fail)

The office of emergency planning in the Department of Defence takes an overview. The office was established after the attacks of 11 September 2001. The issues that the Deputy has raised regarding day-to-day threats are real. As he knows from his brief, that office deals not merely with Army issues but with a wide range of issues. The National Security Committee brings together a small group of people from Departments, the Garda Síochána and the Defence Forces. That was established as a high level forum for mutual awareness and consultation on security issues. It provides for the ongoing exchange of information and collective assessment. The nature of the committee's work precludes my describing its proceedings.

On the first part of the Deputy's question about whether there is a tie-in, there is. The Garda Commissioner, the head of the senior sections of the gardaí and the Chief of Staff of the Army are involved in emergency planning and they sit on the committee. However, the National Security Committee examines issues brought to our attention internationally where we believe that there might be deficiencies or where the Commissioner, the Chief of Staff or officials have some concern about co-ordination efforts. It brings together that small group of high level people.

On the Deputy's question as to why the matter is not all brought together with a single high-powered group, that would mean setting up an entire organisation with an administration, staff and resources, and it was considered that would be neither appropriate nor necessary and would be hugely costly. It was thought better and more efficient to put the money into buying a great deal of equipment and protective clothing, with all the other matters dealt with in the defence budget. Resources have been allocated to that.

Regarding emergency planning I am aware from the budgetary process of the level of work and expenditure being put into providing and building up precautionary measures and carrying out reconnaissance and preliminary work to determine where there are biological or flooding threats. As a result of the attacks of 11 September 2001 a great deal of that is going on compared with the position three or four years ago.

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