Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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To ask the Minister for Defence if he is satisfied regarding the ability of the Defence Forces to provide the full scale of back up requirements to the civil authorities in the short and medium term; if he expects the full scale of emergency services to continue to develop with particular reference to activation and coordination of national emergency plan; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48729/12]

Alan Shatter (Dublin South, Fine Gael)
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My priority as Minister for Defence is to ensure that the operational capacity of the Defence Forces is maintained to the greatest extent possible. Whilst the Defence Forces are not a Principal Response Agency, as defined in the Framework for Major Emergency Management, they provide the fullest possible assistance to the appropriate Lead Department in the event of a natural disaster or severe weather emergency in its Aid to the Civil Authority (ATCA) role under the multi-agency Framework. Representation on the Government Task Force on Emergency Planning, by both my Department and the Defence Forces, ensures the fullest coordination and cooperation in the event of an emergency. The Defence Forces are also represented on the eight Regional Working Groups that have been established under the Framework and, on an ongoing basis, designated members of the Defence Forces, based around the country, act as Liaison Officers to Local Authorities.

The various procedures that are in place, both nationally and locally, were seen to operate very effectively during the Winter of 2010 as the Defence Forces made all assets, resources and capabilities available to the Government Task Force on Emergency Planning and responded to all requests for assistance received from the civil authorities during the periods of severe weather that occurred that Winter.

Emergency planning in this country is structured around the ‘Lead Department’ principle, which means that the Department that is responsible for an activity in normal conditions will maintain that responsibility in an emergency. While there is no one national emergency response plan, there are robust processes in place for the inter-agency cooperation at the national, regional and local levels. In April 2011, the Government Task Force on Emergency Planning approved guidelines for the activation and coordination of a national-level emergency/crisis response. I am satisfied that the Defence Forces have the ability to fulfil all roles that are assigned to them by Government including provision of Aid to the Civil Authorities (ATCA) in any emergency situations that may arise.