Mark Wall (Labour) | Oireachtas source

I thank my colleague from County Kildare for the introduction. The Minister of State is very welcome to the House. I welcome the Bill, as does my party, the Labour Party. As has been said by colleagues, the Bill is long overdue given the importance of the Civil Defence to us all in our communities. This Bill will underpin an organisation that has been at the heart of community events in Ireland since the 1950s. As has been said, we are incredibly proud of the Civil Defence in County Kildare where Patricia McNeela is the Civil Defence officer.

The purpose of the Civil Defence Bill 2023 is to modernise and reform the current legislative basis for the Civil Defence organisation. There is a requirement to do this as the existing regulatory framework consisting of enactments dating from 1939 to 2012 no longer provides a comprehensive statutory basis for Civil Defence matters. The Bill does not propose any radical changes to the operations of the Civil Defence. It addresses the role of the Minister for Defence, the responsibilities of local authorities, the appointment of Civil Defence volunteers and the preparation on a regular basis of civil defence plans by local authorities.

Reference has been made to the number of Civil Defence members in recent years. I am aware that the White Paper mentioned 4,000 members in 2015. The Minister of State mentioned that we have in the region of 2,500 volunteers today. I wish to raise three key asks about areas I would like to discuss. Some of them have already been mentioned. The first relates to funding. It has been stated that under the current model of funding, 70% comes from the Department of Defence and 30% from local authorities. The Minister of State mentioned that he does not envisage any changes in this funding model but I ask him to look at it again. Given the importance of the Civil Defence to us all, it is vital that it is funded appropriately and very much in a timely manner. There can be no situation when an important operational matter is under threat due to a lack of funding. I would appreciate if the Minister of State would comment further on the current model of funding and see if there is a way of improving it. I reiterate the request already made for him to explain the funding and how the 70:30 arrangement was arrived at.

Allied to the question of funding is the need for uniformity in how the Civil Defence operates from a storage, meeting and training point of view. I am aware of some local authorities developing and constructing very modern premises for storage, training and meetings, while other locations are, to say the least, that bit older. I support Senator McGreehan's call for an audit. I ask for a report to be completed on the current facilities of these wonderful community groups throughout the State with a view to standardising the facilities. In light of what we have all said about how important the Civil Defence is to us in our communities, what has been said today about some of the facilities I am aware of is that some are modern while others are not so modern. We must have a standard that will attract people into the Civil Defence. It may not be a barrier but an issue that is regularly raised with me relates to attending meetings in cold premises. We need to do a report. The Department could do such an audit or report in association with local authorities and try to standardise the facilities that are available to the Civil Defence.

The third ask I have for the Minister of State relates to communication. I hope this Bill will go some way towards addressing that. We are aware of the Minister of State's remit in the Department of Defence and also that the Civil Defence comes under the remit of local authorities. Its association with those two entities reflects what the Civil Defence does on a daily basis. I hope the Minister of State can confirm that the Bill will standardise communications throughout the organisation so that everybody knows what the jobs and roles are. That is very important. We do not want to be waiting on one Department or local authority to communicate in a proper and timely manner. Communication is key, given the urgency described by fellow Members, from several points of view concerning the involvement of the Civil Defence in this country. I welcome the Bill. I hope it will be a fulcrum to enhance the situation and ensure that communications are important and happen in a timely manner.

I will use my knowledge of the Civil Defence in my county of Kildare. As my colleague and I have previously stated, we can never thank the members of the Civil Defence enough for the great work they carry out in communities in Kildare under the leadership of the Civil Defence officer, Ms Patricia McNeela. They have never been found wanting. The local group is at every event – festival, community occasion and civil occasion - in my home town of Athy. It can be counted on to provide the expertise, security and knowledge that allow these great events to occur and, most important, to occur without major incident.

I acknowledge the local officer in Athy, Jimmy Byrne. During my time on Athy Municipal District Council he was recognised for his work locally, in particular with the Civil Defence, with a local hero award from the council. That is what those involved in the Civil Defence mean to so many communities. They are local heroes. Like Jimmy Byrne, they are involved in the planning of an event from the start. When everybody else has gone home, they will be the last to leave. It is only right that we recognise the work of the Civil Defence.

It is very important that we acknowledge the work of the Civil Defence through this Bill, on which I look forward to working with the Minister of State. I also look forward to his response on the three points I and other Members have raised. I am especially concerned about the numbers that have been highlighted because without the Civil Defence, many of the festivals and community events simply would not happen. That is something we cannot contemplate or allow to happen. I look forward to the Minister of State's reply. I will support the Bill on behalf of the Labour Party as it makes its way through the House.