Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 579: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the degree to which his Department is involved in the National Emergency Plan; if he is satisfied that the necessary resources have been put in place; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7743/07]

Dick Roche (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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Emergency preparedness and response is based on a "lead Department" principle, whereby responsibility for specific emergency planning and emergency management functions rests with the relevant State Department and its agencies, where appropriate. Therefore, there is no single national emergency plan but rather a number of such plans to enable a coordinated response to a variety of major emergency risk scenarios. For example, in my own Department's case, we have prepared a National Plan for Nuclear Accidents and are currently developing a national framework for response to severe weather incidents to ensure that all existing local severe weather plans are appropriately coordinated and linked. When an emergency occurs, the appropriate major emergency plan is activated with the relevant Department taking the lead in its implementation. Government structures are in place to support emergency planning at a strategic level and to ensure co-ordination across the various existing national plans.

As part of an ongoing focus on major emergency preparedness and response, the Government, in September 2006, published A Framework for Major Emergency Management. The purpose of the new Framework is to put in place arrangements that will enable the three principal response agencies, namely, An Garda Síochána, the Health Service Executive and the local authorities to coordinate their efforts in the event of a major emergency. The Government put in place a Major Emergency Development Programme to implement these new arrangements. My Department chairs a National Steering Group to oversee and drive this Programme and to maintain the Framework into the future.

I am satisfied that sufficient resources are deployed in the relevant areas in my Department to perform its emergency planning and management role. The level of resources to be deployed locally is a matter for local authorities. I have, however, in order to progress the Major Emergency Development Programme, recently approved the engagement by local authorities of an additional 46 staff to support the implementation of the new Framework at local and regional level. My Department has also engaged, on a secondment basis for the duration of the Programme, 4 full time personnel at senior fire officer level.