Ruairi Ó Murchú (Louth, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

There will not be much disagreement on this legislation. Many others have detailed, far more eloquently than I will, the necessity of the Civil Defence and the fine work it has done over many years. We need to have a proper legislative framework in place for the Civil Defence and, beyond that, ensure it is fit for purpose into the future. We know the Civil Defence steps into the fray during times of extreme difficulty. We have all heard about the skill sets some of its members have and the equipment, materials and resources it can bring to bear in cases involving missing persons and for regular events that take place constantly in various areas. That could be local runs or St. Patrick's Day parades. Louth Civil Defence operates out of Dundalk. There will be a St. Patrick's Day parade in Dundalk, combined with a family fun day and music before and after, and the Civil Defence will play its part. I thank Louth County Council, Dundalk Credit Union and PayPal in that regard. This work is necessary. I may have gone on a slight tangent there.

We all know about the work the Civil Defence does and that there has been a decline in recruitment. Work needs to be done on that and we need to give the Civil Defence supports. It is a voluntary organisation but it does vital work. We need to tackle recruitment at a local level. We also need a full review of the equipment and resources, facilities and accommodation available to the Civil Defence. That goes without saying. It is about the people first and foremost but then we must make sure the Civil Defence has all it needs, including the right facilities and equipment, and its volunteers can do exactly what they need to do. We also need to make sure proper plans are drawn up at a local authority level.

We need a fit for purpose Civil Defence that can do all the work for which we thank it. We could not survive without it. We need to look at what Civil Defence needs locally and then give it all the supports it needs. We all accept that different areas will have different calls.

On the fabulous work the Civil Defence has done, we know the local authorities, the community call and their involvement in it show some of the future trajectory for involving statutory agencies and voluntary organisations. We must put all of those pieces together properly. This Bill is the first step but we have a lot more to do.

See this speech in context