Louise O'Reilly (Dublin Fingal, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Chair for the opportunity to speak to this important legislation that, as has been outlined, we will support.

There is not a Deputy or member of the public who has not witnessed the Civil Defence at work, often at times of need or crisis. What many people do not know is that the Civil Defence is a volunteer-based organisation and that these men and women put themselves on the line in helping emergency services and local authorities deal with severe weather, flooding, major accidents and searches for missing people. They are often present and at the ready during important social and community events, such as sports events and concerts.

That is probably from where the majority of people would be familiar with the Civil Defence uniform. It is with what we tend to associate Civil Defence members. However, when they are in their uniform and doing the more technical work, sometimes people may not realise they are the same volunteers and that it is a volunteer organisation.

We were all made aware of the fantastic work Civil Defence and its volunteers do during the pandemic. The contribution volunteers made during the Covid crisis was huge. They were essential to our front-line emergency response to the spread of coronavirus. As someone who represents coastal towns and a coastal constituency, I know how important their search-and-rescue support is. They put their lives at risk and give up their spare time to save people and to be there with families in their time of need. They show bravery, courage and a huge amount of self-sacrifice. They ask for very little in return; theirs is a quiet enough organisation.

Sometimes, however, there has been a bit of a lag in providing what they have asked for, such as the provision of training, modern equipment and appropriate accommodation. I echo the call made, reflected in the Tánaiste's remarks, that this legislation be the start of a modernisation of Civil Defence and a real, true and enduring appreciation for and recognition of the work it does. There is a need for a review of the equipment held by each unit as well as an examination of the facilities available to it.

Training has to be demand-led and developed in conjunction with Civil Defence to provide opportunities for volunteers on an area-by-area basis. What one area needs another area might not, but there could be a gap to be filled in that regard.

It is very unfortunate that there has been a decline in the membership of Civil Defence, particularly in light of the range of skills and the work it can do, as my colleague, Deputy Clarke, outlined. It is to be hoped this legislation will be a very important step on the road to ensuring that the training, the equipment, etc., match up. A greater focus on promoting and recruiting members into Civil Defence is very necessary. I hope that the Tánaiste will take that point back to his officials and his Government colleagues and that we will be able to see that sort of improvement in the numbers. The way in which the State treats volunteers is incredibly important. The message the State sends out to people who provide services but are not full-time staff is very important.

On that, I will raise briefly a somewhat parochial issue in my area. It concerns members of the fire service who are working in Skerries and Balbriggan. They are retained firefighters, which, as the Tánaiste will know, means they are not fully employed. They do the work but they are retained, so there is a semi-volunteer aspect to it. They are registered with the Pre-Hospital Emergency Care Council, PHECC. They provided medical services during the Covid pandemic but have not received the Covid bonus. I ask that the Tánaiste look at this. It has been raised by me and others. It is something we need to look at because if we want volunteers, how we treat them is important, how the State treats them is important, and what they see in their own communities as to how their volunteer work is reflected is also incredibly important. I therefore ask the Tánaiste if he has time - I appreciate that he is busy - to take a brief look into this matter.

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