Denis Landy (Labour) | Oireachtas source

I also welcome the Minister of State to the House. On my first cursory examination of the legislation I feared that it meant the abolition of Civil Defence. On closer scrutiny I realised that it is practical legislation which aims to transfer the functions of Civil Defence back to the Department.

Historically, one must examine why and when Civil Defence was set up. It was established in the years following the Second World War. It is well documented that many people who joined Civil Defence were former members of what was then known as the local defence force, LDF, of which many of my family were members. The LDF was involved in activities to protect the country at a time known as the Emergency. The organisation became Civil Defence and my late uncle, Michael Kavanagh, was one of the founding members of a unit in Carrick-on-Suir. At that time Civil Defence carried out training exercises practically every Sunday morning in each area, including the monitoring of aircraft activity. The activities were all documented and sent to its headquarters in Dublin.

Civil Defence has a long history and it operated without a board for 52 years. I have done some research and tried to establish why the board was set up. I have read about some of the reasons for it but I fear that most of them were political. We have moved on and the Government has decided to dissolve the board and bring Civil Defence back within the remit of the Department. I welcome the measure which is not about saving money, but creating efficiencies. I also welcome the fact, as the Minister of State clearly outlined today, that every effort will be made to safeguard the budget of almost ¤6 million per annum for Civil Defence. Some speakers raised the issue of the voice of the board. The Minister of State has clearly outlined that a forum will be set up where all interested parties in Civil Defence can have a voice. They can express their views and have their policy views implemented by the new system controlled by the Department.

The activities of Civil Defence have been well outlined, particularly by Senator Brian Ó Domhnaill. In my area of Carrick-on-Suir, Civil Defence, right through the 1990s, helped and supported hundreds of families who were affected by flooding on an almost annual basis until the problem was alleviated. The organisation is also engaged in other activities and is strongly associated with a local cycling club. Many people will know that Carrick-on-Suir is the home of cycling in Ireland and the famous cyclist, Sean Kelly, hails from my town along with many others. Civil Defence and cycling are synonymous with the town, because the town hosts a cycling event on St. Patrick's Day. Civil Defence is also involved in other activities in the area, such as motorbike racing, and recently I attended a point-to-point race where Civil Defence was present to monitor the crowd and provide assistance.

I welcome the legislation and I am glad it has been welcomed across the House. The Bill makes sense because we are in an era where we must examine every penny that is spent. I know the legislation is not predominantly about saving money but there is an element of it. There is a relatively new state-of-the-art building in Roscrea that is in the ownership of Civil Defence. People who follow political history may understand why it was located there. What will become of the building? Is there a future for it? Taxpayers' money was invested in the property and there should be a future for it.

The Minister of State referred to various sections of the Bill. It is practical, to the point and deals with the issue. I commend the Minister of State for introducing it.