Michael D'Arcy (Wexford, Fine Gael)
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Question 482: To ask the Minister for Defence the cost of establishing and equipping the National Emergency Co-ordination Centre in Kildare Street, Dublin, including staffing levels and costs, maintenance costs and ancillary costs such as its website; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18628/08]

Willie O'Dea (Limerick East, Fianna Fail)
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The National Emergency Co-Ordination Centre is located in Agriculture House. Its primary purpose is to provide a dedicated multifunctional facility in which ministers and/or senior officials would convene to coordinate the response in the event of a major emergency. The centre is equipped with the latest robust communications systems.

The initial capital cost of providing the centre is approx €3.5 million. The ongoing maintenance costs of running the centre will be in the order of €200,000 per annum. The centre is available to all departments with an emergency planning/management role and is manned by those departments from their core staff as required.

The design of the website "emergency planning.ie" formed part of the Public Information and Awareness Campaign on emergency planning which was launched recently. The routine maintenance of the site is undertaken by the IT section of the Department of Defence.