Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the opportunity to participate in this debate and pay tribute to Deputy Stanton who in October provided Members with an opportunity to hear directly from the chairman of the Civil Defence board at a meeting of the Joint Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality, at which there was a useful exchange of views. I point out to the Chief Whip that it is useful that legislation is ventilated at committees in advance of being taken in the House. This is a positive development.

I am conscious in taking this legislation that the Minister of State is sitting in the same seat occupied in 2002 by my late colleague and friend, Séamus Brennan, when the 2002 Act was first brought forward. At the time it seemed like sensible legislation which sought to empower and introduce a dynamic to Civil Defence that he considered at the time might best be achieved by providing for a degree of autonomy for the body. If we look back at what happened in the intervening years, we will see that far from being autonomous, it became semi-detached from the Department of Defence. We are now operating in a completely changed economic climate. We are going through a period of retrenchment and looking at a plethora of agencies in existence. For that reason, Fianna Fáil is prepared to support the proposal to bring the agency back within the remit of the Department. However, we have a number of questions to which we would like answers. In general, however, we support the initiative.

On a broader level, we have some concerns about the return of Civil Defence to the Department.

This is happening at a time of radical change in that Department. The number of Army battalions has been reduced from three to two and there is a particularly low level of morale within the Defence Forces. It is clear from the response to recent parliamentary questions that there is a disproportionate level of promotional opportunities for people in the Defence Forces in the NCO ranks. We are living through a period where the Reserve Defence Forces consider their position is under threat.

In regard to the initial parent body, they are not returning to a stage where all the players are happy and delighted with what is happening. When the late Seamus Brennan introduced the legislation in 2002, its purpose was two-fold, to update the Civil Defence legislation generally because up to then Civil Defence operated under the Air Raid Precautions Acts 1939 and 1946 and a number of emergency powers. It also provided a necessary legislative framework for the development of the Civil Defence organisation which was an important element of the chapter on Civil Defence contained in the Government's White Paper of 2000 on Defence. The Bill provided for the establishment of a Civil Defence board to oversee, supervise and co-ordinate the operation and development of Civil Defence at national level in co-operation with and in support of all the emergency services, such as the Garda, the fire service, the ambulance service and the Coast Guard. The board was also given the role of advising the Minister on policy issues and to carry out all of the non-policy roles relating to Civil Defence that had up to then been carried out by the Civil Defence branch of the Department of Defence. There were approximately 6,000 volunteer members in the organisation in 2002.

Following the end of the Cold War, the principal focus of Civil Defence in the 1990s changed to one of community support and emergency response. This was highlighted with the launch in 1992 of the development programme, Towards 2000, which was designed to put in place the structures to develop the skills that would enable the organisation to face the future challenges. The aim of the programme was to develop Civil Defence as a top class second line emergency service within the local community. From 1992 to 2002 the organisation learned to operate in close support of the front-line emergency services and so integrated in a meaningful way into the day to day emergency planning structures. This has allowed the Civil Defence organisation to focus on serving the needs of local communities.

The Minister mentioned the value we all place on the role of the Civil Defence. Very often we learn about that through our direct experiences in our local communities where our neighbours, friends and colleagues engage actively with Civil Defence. We see the valuable role they play not only in times of crises - obviously we appreciate what it does at such times - but during periods of inclement weather and during searches for missing persons. Much positive comment has been made of its role in the aftermath of the tragedy of the Tit Bonhomme.We realise that the members of Civil Defence are engaged in an activity that is of enormous value to the local community. They enrich the lives of people in their community and contribute to its overall well being. It behoves us to pay tribute to those people throughout the length and breadth of the country who play an active role in the organisation. If I read the statistics correctly there are in excess 6,000 members on its books but it has 4,500 active members.

Under the legislative proposals before the House, I suggest we look at innovative ways whereby Civil Defence could be encouraged and facilitated and given the necessary resources to continue to develop the valuable role it plays in local communities. I say that against the background of being conscious of huge numbers of people in our communities who are no longer involved in gainful employment and who are looking for ways and means through which they can contribute to the well-being of the community in which they live and through which they can find meaning for their lives and a reason to get up in the morning. In particular, there is merit in an idea put forward by one of the Government backbenchers for the development of Civil Defence to the point where it could be facilitated with a cadet corps, where young people could get involved at local level and avail of the high quality training programmes being made available by Civil Defence. The money spent in expanding the organisation would be well spent and would ultimately be cost neutral in terms of the benefits that would accrue to communities.

It would be remiss of me coming from Kildare not to acknowledge what I have seen in my county in terms of the work of people from the age of 18 to 80 years who turn out time and again in support of various crises and various events in the constituency. I learned much of what I know about Civil Defence from a great Offaly man, an all-Ireland medal winner, the late Comt. Larry Coughlan who, while a Civil Defence officer in Kildare, did enormous work to develop and promote an understanding of the organisation and to increase its membership there. That role is continuing under the leadership of Patricia McNeela as it continues in many counties across the country.

There are a number of areas of concern. Under the provisions of the 2002 Act, the new Civil Defence board was empowered to initiate and foster contacts with other Departments and State authorities, external educational and research institutions both national and international, as well as utilising its own resources to enable it to develop optimum standards for the training of volunteers. We need to be assured in the context of these changes that this capacity will not be curtailed by the board's return to the Department of Defence. It is estimated that enacting the legislation will save €60,000 per year. In the overall context that is not a significant amount but will the Minister give an indication of the cost of the changes, that is, the move from the board system to the return to the Department of Defence?

That the Civil Defence works closely with local authorities means that its response can be immediate and locally focused. That is a great strength of the organisation. We saw it in north County Kildare recently and in other parts of the country where missing person situations gave rise to an immediate positive response from Civil Defence. The public need to be assured that the nature of that response can continue to be focused on the local need and as rapid as in the past.

When introducing the 2002 legislation, the late Seamus Brennan said it was vital for the Department charged with responsibility for co-ordinating the emergency plans of local authorities and with the supervisory and co-ordinating role in relation to all local authority activities to be represented on the new board.

Consequently, the Bill provides for a representative from the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government with expertise in emergency planning to be a member of the board. This is an area in which we might consider possible amendments. I am concerned that the circuit of management is moving away from the local authority back to the Department of Defence. One wonders whether the lines of communication can be as smooth and as effective as they should be. What arrangements are being made to maintain strong expertise in emergency planning in Civil Defence?

The then Minister, Mr. Brennan, said: "It is important in terms of national emergency planning that the Radiological Protection Institute of Ireland be represented on the new board." Will the Minister of State be able to give effect to this and what will be the nature of the relationship between the Radiological Protection Institute of Ireland and the Department of Defence? Mr. Brennan continued:

With the many threats to our environment now evident, it is important that whatever first line service is charged with combating the particular threat can call on the resources of Civil Defence to support it in its endeavours. Having an EPA representative on the board will be of great assistance in developing strategies to offer support in such circumstances.

Again, no more than with the Radiological Protection Institute of Ireland, having ready lines of access, given the need for ongoing communication between the agencies, seems to be essential. I am sure the Minister of State will be able to give us some indication of what his views are in that regard.

Current arrangements provide for the Civil Defence Officers Association, CDOA, to be represented on the board and contribute to its management. How does the Government propose to ensure the voice of volunteers is heard in the proposed new arrangement? The 2002 Act sought to strengthen and maintain the voluntary ethos of Civil Defence and ensure the voice of the volunteer would be clearly heard on the management board, something we hope will continue.

At the recent Oireachtas committee meeting with the chairman of the board it was mentioned a forum might be established which would liaise with and consult interested parties from outside the Department of Defence. I would like to think we could go a little further than suggesting the establishment of a forum and make actual provision to ensure a forum is brought into existence. Such a forum need not cost any money and we would not have to pay anyone to serve on it, but it could have a very useful role to play in the public interest.

A further question arises. Is it in the Department of Defence that this body should find its new home or, to put it another way, is it the place to which it should return? One is conscious that it is in continuous engagement with the local authorities and, through them, the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government. In the consideration given to the legislation which, as I said, we are prepared to support, was any thought given to whether the Department of Defence was, in fact, the most appropriate location for management of Civil Defence? Should we be looking at the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government as the more likely home for such a body, not least given the critical role it will play in national emergency planning? As the debate progresses, I am sure we will have the opportunity to tease out matters further.

I acknowledge the role played by the organisation and the value of the contribution volunteers make. We hear a lot of talk about voluntarism. If there are people who want to do something to serve their communities, they could avail of the opportunity to go to the local Civil Defence officer, look at the training programmes available and consider how they might become involved. I make one final plea to the Minister of State to ensure resources are made available in order that those members of the public who wish to become involved in what is a valuable and productive endeavour, one that produces real and potential local heroes, can do so. Civil Defence should have the opportunity to recruit as many as possible of these people who are enthusiastic about society and their local community. I commend the Bill to the House.

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