Barry Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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To ask the Minister for Defence the steps he has taken regarding the National Emergency Response Action Committee. [6086/13]

Alan Shatter (Dublin South, Fine Gael)
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Emergency Planning in this country is structured around the ‘Lead Department’ principle, which means that whichever Government Department is responsible for an activity in normal conditions will maintain that responsibility during a major emergency, particularly one that has a national level impact. The advantage of this approach is that the professionals, who deal with a particular sector on a daily basis, can bring their skills and expertise to bear and can quickly identify who is best placed to provide support in an emergency situation. At a national level, the Government Task Force on Emergency Planning, which I Chair, provides strategic direction and coordination of emergency planning.

The Government Task Force was established after the 9/11 attacks and is comprised of Ministers and/or senior officials from all Government Departments and key public bodies. It meets on a regular basis, the most recent meeting was held on 17 December 2012 and the next meeting is scheduled for 18 February 2013.

The Government Task Force provides a forum for keeping emergency planning high on the agenda of all Government Departments and it examines crosscutting issues that impact across Government. It is a forum for sharing of information and, from time to time, experts are invited to make presentations to the Task Force on any emerging emergency planning issues.

The Government Task Force meeting held on 9 November 2012 focussed on winter preparedness. After that meeting, together with my colleague Leo Varadkar T.D., Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, we both launched the 'Be Winter-Ready' information campaign for 2012-2013.

The purpose of this campaign is to provide timely information to the public on how to prepare for winter with the advice being delivered via Aertel pages, booklets and through the “Be Winter-Ready” website www.winterready.ie .

In December 2008 the Roles and Responsibilities in Emergency Planning was approved, which identified the lead Department and the supporting Departments and Agencies responsible for over 40 separate emergency scenarios. As part of this process, national guidelines for coordinating a national level emergency/crisis response were put in place, which outline how a National Coordination Group is convened under the lead Government Department given that responsibility. To illustrate this, the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government is designated the lead Department in coordinating the national level response to severe weather emergencies and during recent severe weather events, chaired meetings of the Severe Weather National Coordination Group, which included senior representatives from Government Departments, the Defence Forces, An Garda Síochána, Met Eireann, the National Roads Authority and other State Agencies.

This National Coordination Group examines all of the issues arising from severe weather events and provides a forum for sharing of information and helps to bring about a coordinated ‘whole of Government’ national response in such circumstances. The Group has met a number of times in 2012, particularly during the flooding in June 2012 that affected Cork and in early December 2012 in anticipation of a severe cold spell and possible heavy snowfall. The National Emergency Coordination Centre also provides support when the National Coordination Group is activated in response to a specific crisis/emergency.