Willie O'Dea (Limerick East, Fianna Fail)

I propose to take Questions Nos. 77, 98, 119, 264 and 270 together.

The Defence Forces, which include the Army, Air Corps and Naval Service, in their role as aid to the civil power, that is, the Garda Síochána, and to the civil authorities, that is, local authorities, the Health Service Executive and so on, recently provided emergency assistance in an effort to alleviate the problems caused by the adverse weather conditions throughout the State. All assets, resources and capabilities of the Defence Forces were made available to provide assistance as required. Defence liaison officers were appointed to all local emergency relief centres to co-ordinate Defence Forces assistance.

The Defence Forces provided assistance to a range of local authorities and to the Health Service Executive, utilising their 4x4 vehicles and trucks, while the Air Corps was also active in providing an air ambulance service and support for other emergency services. The major Defence Forces commitments included: transportation of health care personnel to and from hospital and clinics and to patients in outlying areas such as Galway, Drogheda, Cork, Tullamore, Naas, Donard, Enniscorthy, Tiglin, Wicklow, Tullow, Gorey, Harolds Cross Hospice, Blackrock Hospice and the Drogheda House Hospice in Kildare; transportation of patients to hospitals and clinics in Naas, Wicklow and Tullamore; distribution of meals on wheels in several areas such as Cobh, Gormanstown and Balbriggan; gritting of roads and junctions, at the request of the local authorities, in counties Kildare, Meath and Leitrim; gritting of the Health Service Executive ambulance centre in Cork; delivery of water supplies in several local authority areas such as Mullingar, Drogheda and Kilkenny; movement of machinery from Dublin Airport to Wicklow for use in dispersing animal feed; provision of eight 4x4 vehicles to transport members of the Garda Síochána in Cork; and utilisation of aircraft to render assistance to the Health Service Executive, RTE and members of the farming community .

Defence Forces personnel and materials were also made available to local authorities as the thaw set in. The most notable deployment in this regard was in Skibbereen where 36 personnel and several vehicles were engaged in flood relief operations including the filling and placing of sandbags in strategic locations throughout the town. The Defence Forces responded to all official requests for assistance received from the civil authorities during the period of severe weather.

This followed on from the substantial commitment provided by the Defence Forces to the civil authorities during the floods last November. During that period, the Defence Forces provided assistance in Cork city, Shannon Banks in Limerick, Ennis, Ballinasloe, Athlone, Athy, Sallins, Bantry, Carlow, Clonakilty, Clonmel, Kilkenny and Longford. The Defence Forces, at the request of Roscommon County Council and Galway County Council, transported civilian personnel in flood-affected areas. The main effort was in Cork city where more than 200 Defence Forces personnel provided assistance to the local authority with engineer support at the Lee Fields pumping station, the distribution of drinking and sanitation water to approximately 22 locations on the north side of the city and sandbagging duty. The Defence Forces also provided assistance to the Health Service Executive at the Mercy Hospital. The Naval Service provided engineer support in the form of engineer teams with water pumps. The LE Orla provided back-up assistance including communications and catering. Rigid inflatable boats, RIBs, were provided to support river searches. The Air Corps provided aerial reconnaissance support to local authorities and air transport.

The framework for major emergency management sets out a structure enabling the principal response agencies, namely, the Garda Síochána, Health Service Executive and local authorities, to prepare for and make a co-ordinated response to major emergencies resulting from events such as fires, transport accidents, hazardous substance incidents and severe weather. The major emergency plans that have been developed by local and regional authorities identify the procedures for requesting assistance from the Defence Forces. The involvement of the Defence Forces in responding to emergencies arises from requests for assistance from the Garda Síochána, that is, aid to the civil power, or from other agencies of the State, that is, aid to the civil authority. The role of the Defence Forces in these situations is dependent on the nature of the incident and the assistance requested.

The Government task force on emergency planning supports co-ordination of emergency planning across Departments and key agencies. The task force meets on a regular basis and provides a forum for sharing information and keeping emergency planning high on the agenda of all Departments. At each meeting representatives of the Garda Síochána and the Defence Forces provide an update on the security threat analysis.

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