Pádraig Mac Lochlainn (Donegal North East, Sinn Fein)
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8. To ask the Minister for Defence the budget allocation to the Civil Defence for the years 2008 to 2014 inclusive. [5625/14]

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn (Donegal North East, Sinn Fein)
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The Minister will appreciate that the Civil Defence has been busy again in recent times with all the severe weather we have faced. It is a fantastic resource to our communities across the State. I want to establish the extent of the impact of cutbacks on it in recent years.

Alan Shatter (Dublin South, Fine Gael)
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The budget allocations from the Department of Defence Vote for Civil Defence for the years 2008 to 2014 are as follows:

I am pleased to say that, in light of the overall economic challenges facing the country, from 2008 to 2010 my Department succeeded in maintaining a reduction in the order of only 3% to the allocation for Civil Defence in that period. In 2011 Civil Defence was managed at national level by the Civil Defence board and the reduction to €5.585 million in that year was brought about by a requirement in the National Recovery Plan 2011-2014 for all State agencies to reduce their operating costs by 10% for that year. Since 2011, in spite of the difficult overall budgetary situation, I have been successful in maintaining the allocation available for Civil Defence programmes at more or less the same level. The lower figures for 2013 and 2014 reflect the abolition of the Civil Defence board and the transfer of its responsibilities to my Department with effect from 1 January 2013. The provision for staff salaries and other administrative costs for these years has been absorbed into the general Department of Defence Vote. What appears on the surface to be a reduction is not one because of the manner in which the Vote has been dealt with.

The funding of €4.243 million allocated to Civil Defence in 2013 was expended as follows: 65% on grants to local authorities to support the operational and training costs of local Civil Defence units throughout the country; 21% on the central purchase of items of uniform and personal protective equipment, vehicles and other items of equipment for Civil Defence use; 8% on central training costs; 5% on insurance for volunteers, vehicles and equipment; and 1% on other miscellaneous expenses.

I commend the almost 4,500 active Civil Defence volunteers throughout Ireland for the ongoing support they provide to the front-line emergency services and also their dedicated service to their local communities. Last weekend’s serious flooding in Limerick was just one example of how, right across the country, volunteers have been assisting local authorities in helping communities cope with the effects of severe weather. Volunteers have been evacuating homes, pumping water, distributing sandbags, helping to distribute animal feed and re-directing onlookers away from affected areas. Also in recent weeks, Civil Defence volunteers have spent many hours supporting the Garda in searches for missing persons in several parts of the country. Here in Dublin, Civil Defence provided welfare and logistical backup to the fire service in dealing with a major fire in Ballymount.

I pay particular tribute to the engagement of members of Civil Defence across the country in the context of the floods experienced in recent days. Their dedication, volunteerism and professionalism are superb. We owe them a debt of gratitude across the community for the work they do. They have conducted themselves in an outstanding manner and are a crucial assistance when events such as the dreadful flooding we have seen take place. It is right that we use this opportunity to record our thanks to all members of Civil Defence who have been so engaged. There is a possibility that they may need to be further engaged in the coming days. I thank them for their commitment.

Additional information not given on the floor of the House

As I stated when I launched the winter ready campaign in November and again in my opening statement to the Oireachtas Select Committee on Justice, Equality and Defence last week, I am more than aware of the crucial role that Civil Defence plays in supporting all of the front-line services. For that reason I intend to ensure that an adequate level of funding is made available through the Civil Defence branch of my Department to support the efforts of local authorities and volunteers.

Michael Kitt (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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Thank you, Minister. We all agree with that.

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn (Donegal North East, Sinn Fein)
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Yes, absolutely. The Minister said in 2008 Civil Defence funding was approximately €6.8 million and it is down to €4.24 million this year. That would suggest a cut of approximately one third but the Minister suggests those figures do not give the full facts. Maybe we will tease that through. The Civil Defence came back under the remit of the Department of Defence in recent times, which was supported by all Members of the House at that time as a sensible enough move. The concern was that there would be an impact on training and resources going into those areas. Will the Minister engage with the Civil Defence Officers Association, the representative association? There is concern round the replacement of vehicles. They have different issues. I ask the Minister to make arrangements to meet that association in the near future if he has not done so recently to tease through the issues.

It is not enough for us in this House to thank them collectively. The people involved as volunteers in the Civil Defence or the Reserve Defence Force represent all that is best about being Irish. All of us in this House feel that, but it is not enough to say that to them.

We need to give them the vehicles, training and requisite supports they require. Will the Minister assure me that the budget figures are not as bad as they first appeared and meet Civil Defence representatives to establish what their needs are?

Alan Shatter (Dublin South, Fine Gael)
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I am always happy to meet people where it is appropriate to do so. I will have no difficulty in meeting Civil Defence members and it is unnecessary to raise that issue in the House as a question.

As I mentioned previously, the apparent major reduction in funding, between 2012 and 2013, was simply a reflection of the abolition of the Civil Defence board. Many of the costs of Civil Defence such as the salaries of those working in Civil Defence headquarters and the training college were transferred from the former Civil Defence board to the Department of Defence. This had no impact on day-to-day Civil Defence activities throughout the country. Effectively, a portion of the moneys which formerly had been allocated to Civil Defence to meet various expenditure items is now part of the general expenditure of the Department of Defence. Therefore, there has not been a dramatic reduction in the budget, which is why I explained the figures in the way I did.

It is important to have regard also to matters relating to funding because not all of the funding provided for Civil Defence comes from the Central Fund. Civil Defence units throughout the country operate under the control of Civil Defence officers, CDOs. The CDO is a full-time employee of the local authority and activities are funded through a combination of the central grant from my Department and direct funding from the local authority. The central grant is normally approximately 70% of the expenditure on Civil Defence in the local authority area. As well as grant aid, the Department provides other supports for local Civil Defence units. For example, we provide for central training through the Civil Defence college in Roscrea. The Department also provides vehicles, uniforms and a wide range of equipment. If issues in regard to equipment are a cause of concern, I will be happy to discuss them. It is important that it is understood additional assistance is provided by local authorities for individual Civil Defence units across the country. Therefore, the financial figures I have provided do not give true and total visibility to the funding provided.

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn (Donegal North East, Sinn Fein)
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It is good to receive reassurance that the figures are not as stark as they first appeared. However, will the Minister invite Civil Defence representatives to discuss this issue? I have no doubt that he was sincere in his praise of Civil Defence and we all feel the same about it. Will he make contact with the organisation to invite its representatives to meet him to outline deficiencies in what they require in terms of training or vehicles? He may not be able to solve every problem but meeting the representatives would be a good gesture, particularly following the activities in which they have been involved in recent times. They have been helping communities throughout the recent weather crisis. The Minister should try to engage with them in the next month or so to tease out the issues. Many voluntary organisations do not want to shout and scream for help as they see this as political. I suggest the Minister invite them to come and thank them for the work they have done and see what more can be done to assist them. I urge him to do this.

Alan Shatter (Dublin South, Fine Gael)
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In the context of organisational and assistance issues, these matters have, effectively, been centralised through the Department of Defence, rather than a separate board. Because of this, there is regular contact, on a daily basis when necessary, with members of Civil Defence. There is no difficulty in meeting a group representing members of the organisation, if they wish to meet me. There is no reason for it to be raised as an issue in the House because of the ongoing engagement that takes place. Should they wish to meet me, I am available to meet them on a mutually convenient date to discuss any issue of concern.

In the context of Department of Defence matters, I discuss issues with my officials on a daily basis and these discussions include matters relating to Civil Defence, the numbers within it, the nature of the work involved, its engagement when difficulties arise such as looking for missing persons, dealing with flooding or other issues. I receive regular reports on what is occurring and I am very interested in the work being done. I hold members of Civil Defence in high regard. They are a superb example of voluntarism the length and breadth of the country.