Willie O'Dea (Limerick East, Fianna Fail)

The Civil Defence Board was established in 2003. The board produces a strategic plan every three years, the most recent of which, covering the period 2007-10, was launched by me last September. Copies of the plan have been laid before the House. The strategies identified by the board for the management and development of the Civil Defence place a high priority on the organisation's involvement in developing training and recruitment programmes and in the framework for major emergency management, which identifies a wider role for the Civil Defence in emergency response.

In 2007, the Civil Defence Board received a grant of almost €6.1 million from my Department and it is my intention that this level of funding be maintained. In each of the past three years, the board has expended on average almost €1 million on the purchase of equipment, enabling the board to equip volunteers to a high standard. In this regard, the board introduced new Civil Defence work wear in 2006, which has enhanced the image of the organisation and assisted the board in attracting and retaining new members.

Recently, considerable expenditure on training, first aid, rescue and communications equipment, in addition to boats and vehicles, has helped to transform the Civil Defence into a modern multifunctional emergency response organisation. The board has re-equipped all of its casualty volunteers with up-to-date training manuals, DVDs and instructional material, bringing the organisation into line with the statutory requirements laid down by the Pre-Hospital Emergency Care Council, PHECC. The board has also invested considerable resources in re-equipping Civil Defence technical rescue teams since 2006.

Marketing the capabilities of the Civil Defence is an important strategy in meeting the target of increasing membership by 10% by 2010 as identified in the board's strategic plan. While the recruitment of Civil Defence members is a local authority function, the Civil Defence Board both encourages and supports local authorities, through their Civil Defence officers, to undertake recruitment campaigns. The board supports these recruitment initiatives through the provision of additional publicity material and media training for Civil Defence officers and other supports that help to enhance the image of the Civil Defence. Targeted recruitment programmes also take place in the form of public awareness campaigns and new training classes at various locations around the country.

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