Tony Killeen (Clare, Fianna Fail)

I propose to take Questions Nos. 27 and 39 together.

The Civil Defence Board was established pursuant to the Civil Defence Act 2002 to co-ordinate the operation and future development of the Civil Defence at national level. While the board gives advice on policy issues, responsibility for policy and political accountability to the Oireachtas for the discharge of the board's functions remain with the Minister for Defence. In accordance with the Act, the board must submit to the Minister a three-year strategic plan setting out its key objectives and strategies. In June of this year, I launched the third strategic plan of the Civil Defence Board, which covers the period from 2010 to 2013. The strategies identified by the board 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 2010, the Civil Defence Board received a grant of €6.061 million, almost €1 million of which was allocated for the purchase of equipment. This has enabled the board to equip volunteers to a high standard. The board has re-equipped all of its casualty trained volunteers with up-to-date training manuals, DVDs and instructional material, thereby bringing the organisation into line with the statutory requirements laid down by the Pre-Hospital Emergency Care Council. The Civil Defence College is a recognised certifying body for the preparation and delivery of courses approved by statutory and other national bodies such as the Further Education and Training Awards Council and the Irish Heart Foundation. This accreditation, combined with the diverse range of training available to volunteers, is of great assistance to those who wish to develop career opportunities outside the Civil Defence.

The board's strategic plan identifies the marketing of the capabilities of the Civil Defence as an important strategy. While the recruitment of Civil Defence members is a local authority function, the Civil Defence Board encourages and supports local authorities to undertake recruitment campaigns. The board supports such 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. Earlier this year, the board compiled a volunteer database to give an accurate reflection of the numbers in the organisation and enable the board and local authorities to target recruitment campaigns as required. Development work on the database has been completed. The population of the database is under way at local authority level. The national membership strength, as obtained from local authorities earlier this year, is approximately 4,750. Significant numbers of Civil Defence officers on the ground are reporting an increase in membership. This is a very positive development for the future of the Civil Defence.

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