Tom Hayes (Tipperary South, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I am sharing my time Deputy O'Donovan.

One must salute the wonderful volunteers who work with the Civil Defence, who were rightly described by another speaker as local heroes. I welcome the fact that the headquarters will be maintained in Roscrea in County Tipperary. This is an important, central part of the country that is proud of its volunteers. The savings being made indicate the Government's determination to cut back on waste. That is why I welcome the initiative.

We are all mindful of the work of the Civil Defence. I refer to volunteerism and supporting local efforts in the wake of floods, freezing temperatures and snowfalls. For many years the River Suir overflowed in Clonmel in County Tipperary, causing considerable hardship to people in the town. The Civil Defence sprang into action immediately and helped to alleviate the problem. Now, owing to considerable investment and work on flood relief in the town, I hope its services will not be needed any more. Other towns will obviously be subject to flooding; one cannot predict when it will happen. Where other floods occur, the work of the local Civil Defence will come into play. The volunteers play a considerable role in improving the quality of life of everybody.

When the Civil Defence is called upon for local shows, activities and games, the volunteers always oblige. I am struck at all times by the pride with which they carry out their work. Day after day, event after event, I see the Civil Defence engage in emergency and support work to back up the Garda, local authorities and others who need it. This is why I salute the organisation.

The Civil Defence provides stewarding, first-aid cover and other supports at major public and community events. It supports the front-line ambulance service during environmental and other emergencies and the efforts of local authorities in dealing with all types of emergency. It cares for displaced people and supports efforts nationwide to combat the spread of infectious animal diseases in support of the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine. If a national herd is under threat, the Civil Defence will be ready to support the work of the Department's officials. This is sometimes forgotten when we introduce new legislation in the House. We must think of the volunteers who are so active.

I acknowledge the work done by the Department of Defence regarding the closure of the barracks in Clonmel. Some months or a year ago, we received the bad news that Kickham Barracks was to be closed down. Since then, Department and local authority officials in south Tipperary have made a genuine effort to put a plan together. The Minister for Justice and Equality, Deputy Alan Shatter, announced in recent weeks that a new Garda station would be built on the site. There has been widespread negativity over the past 12 months among certain individuals, and false accusations were made that members of the Government parties were standing idly by and doing nothing. I was pleased some weeks ago when the Minister for Justice and Equality gave his full backing to a proposal, involving the local authority, the VEC and LIT, to put the site to valuable use. I hope that over the coming years this proposal will be implemented. The plan is now almost in place. While one may criticise members of the public service, one must acknowledge this is an example of public servants working together to put a strategic plan in place for the Army barracks site. It must be acknowledged that it is worthwhile to make the site useful for the taxpayer and convert it into a valuable asset for the town and surrounding area. I thank the Minister sincerely and am only too glad to put these points on the record.

I am pleased that the Civil Defence headquarters will be in Roscrea and that the new changes will save €60,000. That amount may look small but if we can save money in every area in every Department, it will be easier for the Minister for Finance to balance the budget next week and it will not be a struggle to find more taxes and more ways to make life less difficult for people. The Government parties committed to cut public waste during the election campaign and that is happening, although the pace may be slow. However, it is worthwhile and we should continue on that track.

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