Paul Coghlan (Fine Gael)
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I welcome the Minister of State at the Department of Defence, Deputy Paul Kehoe.

Paul Kehoe (Wexford, Fine Gael)
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As chairman of the Government's task force on emergency planning, I am delighted to brief Senators on the Be Winter-Ready campaign. The campaign is now an established annual event intended to give the public advice on the particular challenges the winter period can present. It also informs members of the public where they can source information on how to help themselves and others and highlights the whole-of-government approach being taken to winter preparations.

As Senators are well aware, the Be Winter-Ready campaign focuses on flooding and safe driving. The Office of Emergency Planning, in collaboration with the Office of Public Works, OPW, and the Road Safety Authority, has designed and produced a leaflet on each aspect. The leaflets are distributed manually and available on the website winterready.ie. This is the sixth iteration of the Be Winter-Ready campaign, the focus of previous campaigns being on areas such as schools and farm families.

A meeting of the Government's task force on emergency planning took place on 9 November. It was dedicated to winter preparedness and immediately followed by the Be Winter-Ready campaign launch. At the meeting a comprehensive briefing by all relevant Departments and agencies was received. As Senators may be aware, the role of the Government's task force on emergency planning is to support co-ordination across Government services in preparing for emergencies. This year's campaign launch further strengthened the co-ordinated approach taken in recent years. I am committed to continuing this approach to building national resilience during the winter in general but especially during severe weather events that may occur.

The Be Winter-Ready campaign provides an opportunity for all relevant Departments and agencies, with transport operators, utilities and other services, to come together to inform on the work being undertaken in their areas. This collective approach provides an opportunity for the sharing of advice and information on our collective preparedness for the winter months and how the public can access and avail of this information. The launch of the Be Winter-Ready campaign marks the start of what can be a very demanding time for many, including the emergency services. It also gives us an opportunity to take stock and reflect on the steps we can take to prepare for the challenges of wintertime.

We can all recall the prolonged period of severe cold weather that occurred in the winters of 2009 and 2010. They were two of the coldest spells in recent weather history. Last year we had 189% of normal rainfall, making it the wettest ever recorded.Drawing on our experience of such events over previous years and on the lessons learned, central and local government are now better prepared and ready to respond to incidents of severe weather. Emergency plans are in place and are regularly updated and exercised, simulating a range of weather-related scenarios.

The Be Winter-Ready campaign is but one element of a significant body of work that takes place in preparation for winter. Within my own Department, Civil Defence and the Defence Forces are equipped, trained and regularly exercised to the highest levels to be able to provide support to the civil authorities, when required. All local authorities have major emergency plans in place that include provisions for severe weather. During recent severe weather incidents the co-ordination structures and procedures in these plans were used extensively. Most emergency situations, including severe weather events, are responded to and managed locally or regionally. Where such weather events require a national response, the Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government leads the national level co-ordination to bring whole-of-Government support to bear. The fact that this national level co-ordination commenced in advance of Storm Desmond, which occurred on 4 December, and met over 30 times, ensured a speedy response when flooding occurred.

I will not go into the details of last year’s flooding and the lessons learned as this is covered very comprehensively by the Report on Winter Flooding - 4 December 2015 to 13 January 2016 compiled by the Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government and published on its website. Reports such as this are crucial to the continued development of our capability and capacity in this area. They inform our decision making and ensure that we are well prepared at both a national and local level. However, we can never become complacent. We need to continue planning, training and exercising regularly for such events. I would like to acknowledge the work of individuals, community groups and the voluntary agencies for the essential assistance they provide during the winter and particularly during periods of severe weather, especially to the vulnerable in our communities. Well-prepared plans and preparations locally and within our communities, to ensure our resilience in such circumstances, remain a key factor for coping with the adverse impacts from severe weather. Community resilience is vitally important in dealing with severe weather and other major emergencies. The front-line emergency services rely heavily upon the community spirit that exists across Ireland to assist them in their work and this is greatly appreciated. Severe weather tests our resources and our ability to carry on normal activities. However, I believe that, by being prepared and working together at local, regional and national levels, we all become more resilient and minimise the disruption to our lives by such events.

Weather warnings issued by Met Éireann are an important and valuable service that has developed considerably over the past few decades. The core rationale for issuing weather warnings is to enable citizens, business and communities to take appropriate measures for the conditions to protect themselves, to mitigate damage to their property and to minimise disruption of economic activity during severe weather. It is particularly important that the public, businesses, schools and institutions across the State are familiar with the coded weather alerts issued and what to do when they are triggered and issued by Met Éireann.

Providing timely advice to the public is high among the key priorities for Government at both a national and a local level. The Be Winter-Ready website and the Be Winter-Ready booklet have been significantly enhanced with this in mind. Together with the links to other public service websites, they bring all of the relevant information together in a co-ordinated manner. I ask all members of the public, therefore, to take some time to explore these sites or to read the booklet or both.

In addition, the office of emergency planning has conducted a cost-effective and extensive information campaign on Be Winter-Ready, with adverts on both national and local radio and in the national print media. They will be also be regularly tweeting during the winter period to augment the Be Winter-Ready website and the advice being issued during particularly severe weather events. The twitter account can be followed on @emergencyIE and the public is being encouraged to join in the conversation at #bewinterready. The main message remains a simple one. Be prepared, stay safe, know where to find help if you need it and be prepared to help others if you can. In other words, Be Winter-Ready.

Paul Daly (Fianna Fail)
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This is a very important issue as we face into winter. We can have all the actions we need to enable us to deal with what may be around the corner but we often forget the most vulnerable in society, especially older people and those in rural areas. In severe weather conditions it is important that we are all cognisant of the fact that people may be isolated. While we can write things in plans to address such things they are really down to human nature and the goodness of neighbours and these will be a vital component of a Be Winter-Ready plan.

The Be Winter-Ready campaign was established following the brutal and uncharacteristically cold winters of 2009 and 2010. I would be hesitant to call it a "knee-jerk" reaction but it is unfortunate that we only began to think about the campaign after the event. As the Minister said, last year we had 189% of average rainfall and the winter-ready campaign now has an emphasis on flood-related activities. It is always positive to hear such things being done but it would be better to have had them before the event. We cannot allow the memories of last year to fade away without learning the lessons.

A major fall-out of the flooding was related to insurance and the vulnerable people in flood risk areas are living a nightmare whether it is winter, spring, summer or autumn. While not directly related to today's topic it is a side-effect of a severe winter that has to be addressed immediately so that people can be at ease in their homes. If people cannot gain home insurance it is very hard to sleep easy at night.

I compliment all the agencies who came to the aid of people, whether in a voluntary capacity or as part of their daily duties, in 2009 and 2010. I encourage more voluntary organisations to buy into the Be Winter-Ready campaign. The IFA in rural areas, for example, co-ordinates a four-wheel drive scheme so that if there is severe snow or frost and people cannot access small lanes in backward rural areas, local farmers will provide a four-wheeled vehicle for that purpose. I commend such schemes and we all need to buy into them. We cannot blame anybody for the weather. While politicians are blamed for almost everything else they cannot yet be blamed for the weather because we do not know what is around the corner and nobody is in control of it. Anything can happen overnight so awareness and being prepared are as important as having written documents and plans.

Victor Boyhan (Independent)
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I thank the Minister for coming to the House and giving an overview of the response. It is his responsibility as Minister of State and chairman of the Government task force on emergency planning. He may have already done it but I would like to encourage the Minister of State to ensure local authorities are actually ready because in my experience few are. The first port of call for most people is the local authority. We have 31 local councils in the country but I can only speak for Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown where they now have a 24-hour emergency service, which is based in a call centre in Cork, although that is irrelevant. It is a good system in that the minute one dials this number, the call will be answered by an agency who will tell one where to connect. The reality is that local authorities need to be geared up. I was a member of a local authority for many years but councillors, the elected members, virtually knew nothing about the emergency response. There is a whole range of emergency responses - for example, responses to weather issues, issues to do with agriculture and maritime disasters. A myriad of issues could arise this very night. This is about a bigger response. If there is a weakness in local authorities and in the whole joined up thinking about emergency responses, how ready, how equipped and how resourced are each of the 31 local councils to meet a disaster this very night? This very night a major cruise ship could go down in the port of Dublin. Where would one get blankets, food and other resources? Have there been dry runs of emergency response teams? It is not as joined up as we would like to imagine. It is an issue for the new year. It is also an issue in terms of the competence of the local authorities working with the Defence Forces, An Garda Síochána and a range of State and voluntary agencies. How ready are we as a nation? How ready are local authorities and State agencies to respond to what could potentially be critical disasters for communities and for our people?

I thank the Minister of State for addressing this issue in the House. It is timely and appropriate. I acknowledge the staff and the team that are involved. We need to have some ongoing training in regard to immediate responses in emergencies. That is something that I ask the Minister of State to look at in conjunction with the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government. How can we be sure that all State agencies and all local authorities are ready to respond immediately to a major disaster? The Minister of State will find great weaknesses in the system. It is not robust enough and needs to be looked at. I suggest that the Minister of State and his officials might look at it in the new year. Again, I thank the Minister of State for coming to the House and sharing his plans. Clearly, he has given it a lot of thought to it.

Gabrielle McFadden (Fine Gael)
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I welcome the Minister of State to the Chamber. I do not know how many of my fellow Senators were girl guides, or boy scouts. I can see one girl guide.

Victor Boyhan (Independent)
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I was in the boy scouts

Gabrielle McFadden (Fine Gael)
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I hope the rest were boy scouts.

I was a girl guide and our motto at the time was "Be prepared, Bí Ullamh". Essentially, that is what this campaign is about. As we all know Ireland has quite unpredictable weather and in the past there were times we found ourselves stranded due to the weather conditions. I think everybody agrees the country should not grind to a halt because of adverse weather conditions nor should people's lives or homes be in jeopardy because it rains too much or because it snows. It is of paramount importance that we are prepared for whatever the weather may bring. This campaign aims to do just that. As the Minister of State said, the main objectives are to provide practical advice to all as to how best to prepare for the coming winter, to ensure members of the public have access to help if they need it, to reassure people that the preparations are in place and that Government has made preparations.

This document provides practical advice for coping during times of severe weather and gives us all the contact details for State agencies that can provide assistance. The main topics of the document include: preparing one's home, road safety, travel advice and advice for farmers and for businesses. It is a very practical document and I commend the Department for the work that has gone into it. It should not be just about a document, as Senator Daly said, but it should also be about people working together as a community and working with a sense of community spirit. With that in mind, I urge people to keep an eye on elderly relatives and neighbours. During periods of severe weather conditions, it makes it more difficult for people to get out and about and do their shopping and to attend medical appointments. They may need help bringing in fuel because, as we all know, it is very important for elderly people to have sufficient fuel to maintain adequate heat in their homes.

We should encourage elderly people to wear panic buttons in case of an emergency or a fall. They should be encouraged to use their mobile phone and to have it charged at all times and to have a torch at hand in case of a power cut. All these things sound very basic but when faced with bad weather or power cuts, people tend to panic. It is very difficult to be ready to deal with an emergency when in a state of panic. Being prepared in advance is half the battle.

I wish to raise the issue of flooding. Last year's flooding has been raised by Senator Daly. One of the objectives of the campaign, as has been stated by the Minister of State, is to reassure people that the Government has made preparation. To be parochial, the people of Athlone had a terrible time last year with the flooding. Everybody worked exceptionally hard during December and January to try to help those worst affected. As always, the Defence Forces were among the hardest workers and they worked day and night with the county council workers and volunteers. It took five days for the Army to come out to help in Athlone last year. It was not because the Army did not want to come out, quite the opposite, but it was because they were not officially called out by the county council. The county council thought it could manage it and it did great work but it made the wrong call. At one point, on a Sunday morning I called the Taoiseach and the then Minister for Defence, and urged both of them to call out the Army that we needed assistance in Athlone. The then Minister instructed the council to request the Army. A procedure should be added to the Be Winter-Ready programme, whereby after a certain specified time, the Army would automatically be called on. The Army's presence always reassures people and we saw that at first hand in Athlone last year.

I welcome the campaign and urge the Minister of State to consider my point about the Army and include it in the emergency plan. I hope we will not need any of these measures this winter. I hope it will be a mild and pleasant winter for everybody. We suffered enough last year. I urge everybody to ensure that he or she reads the booklet and is ready, like all good girl guides and boy scouts.

Maria Byrne (Fine Gael)
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I welcome the Minister of State to the House for this discussion on the very important Be Winter-Ready campaign. The key issues are to be prepared, stay safe and know where to turn to for help. These are the key messages that must be communicated, especially to older people in the community. As others have said, people must ensure that they have an adequate supply of water and food in their homes in case we experience very harsh weather conditions. Medication is also very important because some people may not be able to leave their homes to obtain supplies. In terms of community spirit, it is very important that people keep an eye on one another and we have seen that happening all over the country in the past few years.

Our weather conditions have changed a lot recently and we can experience several seasons in a very short space of time. Flooding was referred to earlier and my county of Limerick has suffered a lot in this regard in recent years. An additional difficulty is that the ESB often has to release excess water from Ardnacrusha and this further complicates matters in the area.

I welcome the fact that the campaign is focused on flooding. It provides a lot of very practical advice, such as turning off the water to one's home if one is going to be away for a number of days. However, there are some issues relating to flooding that are crucial and deserving of more attention. A lot has been done for flood prone areas but a lot more can be done. Insurance is a major issue for many people. Some householders have been unable to get home insurance because their homes are built on flood plains or they have been flooded in the past.

The campaign leaflet contains many practical tips which I welcome. It points out the importance of maintaining our modes of transport. Whether one uses a car or a bicycle, it is very important to ensure that the lights are working properly. The leaflet also advises people to wear high visibility vests in the winter months so that they are clearly visible on the road. People also need to allow extra time for their journeys.

On the issue of farm safety, a number of students from Pallaskenry College were here yesterday to meet the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Deputy Michael Creed. They had carried out a survey on farm safety. The number of accidents on farms is very high but many of the 546 farmers surveyed were unaware of many important health and safety issues. The campaign leaflet advises farmers to tell someone in the household when they are going out to check on their animals during bad weather.

The local authorities in the mid-west have come together and agreed an emergency plan, in conjunction with all of the emergency service providers. That is something that should be replicated country wide. Volunteers have been mentioned already and I would like to pay tribute to all of those who volunteer their time to help others. In Limerick, for example, there are volunteers who patrol the rivers at night to make sure that there are no accidents. These volunteers, along with the staff of all of the emergency services and local authorities, must be thanked for their work.

Paul Kehoe (Wexford, Fine Gael)
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I thank all of the Senators for their contributions to this discussion.

Most emergency situations, including severe weather events, are responded to and managed locally and regionally. While the response is co-ordinated and managed at a local level in the first instance, as was the case last winter, the Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government has the lead role with regard to the response at a national level to severe weather events. As such, it can convene at short notice, the national emergency co-ordination group for severe weather comprising 27 different Departments and agencies in support of this local response, should it be required. The convening of this group brings a whole-of-government response to bear in dealing with crises.

Last winter the aforementioned group met in advance of Storm Desmond on 4 December and convened daily from 7 December until 13 January in response to the severe weather and flooding that resulted. The overall co-ordinated response at local, regional and national level was extremely effective in minimising the damage to property and residents at that time.

If Senators would like more information on the flooding in December 2015 and January 2016, I urge them to read the report prepared on it by the Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government.In addition, the OPW has published on its website a progress report on the interdepartmental flood policy and co-ordination group which deals with a broad range of flood risk policies and measures and the manner in which they should be implemented. While we have tried and tested generic response mechanisms, we cannot be complacent when dealing with preparations for severe weather events and the potential dangers they pose, particularly during the winter months. The Be Winter-Ready campaign reinforces the national emergency co-ordination group by encouraging to be prepared to stay safe and also to know where to find help if needed or required. We have made significant strides in promoting the Be Winter-Ready campaign over the last six years. I am sure we are all agreed that is a cost effective and efficient campaign that brings together all State resources to promote the central message of resilience.

As I said earlier, community resilience is vitally important in dealing with severe weather emergencies and assists the front-line emergency services greatly. I take this opportunity acknowledge the excellent work of all our front-line services, particularly those who have to work in severe weather conditions. However, I would also like to highlight the continued and dedicated work of individuals, community groups and voluntary emergency services for the essential assistance they provide throughout the country, in particular to the vulnerable in our communities during severe winters. This year, the Be Winter-Ready campaign is concentrating on promoting public awareness of flooding and how to prepare for such events and on driving safely during the winter months. We all need to take road safety seriously. It is a particular problem during the winter months. The Road Safety Authority has been actively campaigning, as part of the Be Winter-Ready campaign, to promote greater road safety during the winter months.

A number of Senators raised particular issues, including the issue of flood insurance cover. The OPW and Insurance Ireland have agreed a system of information sharing in regard to the flood alleviation schemes. The Department of Finance and the OPW also meet on a quarterly basis with Insurance Ireland to discuss the availability of flood insurance cover. The Minister of State, Deputy Seán Canney, is on top of this issue. As Members will be aware dealing with insurance companies can be difficult at times.

Denis Landy (Labour)
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On a point of order, I was notified that this debate would commence at 3.15 p.m. The schedule issued last week did not provide a time for commencement of this matter. I have just been told that I cannot contribute to the debate. There are a couple of serious issues-----

Gerry Horkan (Fianna Fail)
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The Order of Business was agreed.

Denis Landy (Labour)
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-----in regard to flooding in my area last year that I was asked to raise during this debate.

Gerry Horkan (Fianna Fail)
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I must ask the Senator to allow the Minister of State to conclude without interruption.

Denis Landy (Labour)
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The House is not scheduled to sit until 8 p.m. tonight. We are not over-burdened with legislation.

Gerry Horkan (Fianna Fail)
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I must abide the rules of the House.

Denis Landy (Labour)
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Surely, I can be allowed to make a contribution.

Gerry Horkan (Fianna Fail)
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If I could allow the Senator to do so I would but I must abide by the rules. The Order of Business and format for the taking of business was agreed this morning. I am not allowing in other Senators who have also indicated that they want to contribute to the debate. I regret that the Senator was not in the Chamber prior to the Minister of State responding to the debate.

Denis Landy (Labour)
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I would ask that more clarity be provided in the schedule in future.

Gerry Horkan (Fianna Fail)
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Approximately two or three minutes before the Senator came into the Chamber I called on the Minister of State to respond as there were no other Members in the House indicating a desire to speak.

Denis Landy (Labour)
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I was at a committee.

Gerry Horkan (Fianna Fail)
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Please allow the Minister of State to conclude his response without interruption.

Denis Landy (Labour)
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I was informed by text from my secretary that the debate had commenced.

Gerry Horkan (Fianna Fail)
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The Order of Business was agreed. I am only doing my job.

Denis Landy (Labour)
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I know. I am only asking for the right to speak in this Chamber.

Gerry Horkan (Fianna Fail)
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If I could allow the Senator to do so, I would but the rules do not allow me to do so.

Paul Kehoe (Wexford, Fine Gael)
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A number of Senators raised the issue of insurance, which are matters for the OPW and the Minister of State, Deputy Canney. I appeal to the insurance companies to recognise the great work that the OPW has been doing and the millions of euros it has invested in flood relief measures in towns and villages across the country. I believe they should be offering cover to householders in general once alleviation works have been completed.

The IFA scheme was also mentioned. It has been very helpful, particularly to local authorities that are unable to reach minor roads. Local authorities and their preparedness for emergencies was also mentioned. There are a range of emergency responses in every county. A huge amount of training and exercises are also being carried out across the country. One such exercise was carried out by the Defence Forces at the barracks in Kilkenny and involved, Kilkenny, Wexford, Waterford, Tipperary and Carlow county councils. This will ensure that should a severe weather event or flooding occur in any of the towns in those counties there will be a co-ordinated response by the councils and so on. It is not true to say that there is a lack of co-ordination of services.

Senator McFadden spoke about elderly people and the need for neighbours to keep an eye on them. I appeal to all people to look out for and visit elderly people who are living alone and incapable of leaving their homes during the winter months. I pay tribute to the many volunteer organisations who work in this area, in particular the Civil Defence, which comes under the remit of my Department.

A number of Senators, including Senator McFadden, spoke about the Army being called in to assist county councils. Aid to the civil power is a matter for individual local authorities. I can assure the Seanad that the Defence Forces are ready, willing and able to assist at any time. Senator McFadden will be aware of the great work carried out last year in her county by the Defence Forces.

On the issue raised by Senator Ó Donnghaile, I chair the Government task force on emergency planning on which all Departments and agencies are represented. The task force meets on a regular basis and met yesterday for two and a half hours during which a range of issues were discussed. There is a co-ordinated approach to the issues arising. There is no doubt but that all local authorities and agencies are faced with huge challenges when it comes to severe weather events because of the uncertainty around what may or may not occur. As such, we have to be ready for all eventualities. I can assure Senator Ó Donnghaile that the Defence Forces do not cross the Border for specific reasons.

Senator Maria Byrne referred to household tips. I refer the Senator to the Department's website which provides links to other websites which contain domestic household tips. Farm safety is another huge issue in winter time. We must all be cognisant of the need for vigilance in that regard. As I said earlier, a huge number of exercises are carried out between the Defence Forces and local authorities across the country. I have spoken to the commanders of each of our brigades and asked them to encourage this practise. These exercises are important to ensuring we are prepared.

I thank all the Senators who contributed to the debate. I take this opportunity to wish Members of the Seanad, including the Acting Chairman, Senator Horkan, a very Happy Christmas and prosperous 2017. I look forward to returning to the House in 2017. I would also like to thank my officials and the officials in all of the emergency departments, particularly the office of emergency planning, who often had to work in very difficult circumstances. As I said earlier, these are the people on whom we depend in difficult weather conditions.