Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Fianna Fail)
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845. To ask the Minister for Defence when the next meeting of the national emergency co-ordination committee will take place; the number of meetings that have taken place to date in 2013; the number he has chaired; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46316/13]

Alan Shatter (Dublin South, Fine Gael)
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I chair the Government Task Force on Emergency Planning, which includes senior officials of Government Departments, senior officers of An Garda Síochána and the Defence Forces and officials of other key public authorities, which have a lead or support role in Government emergency planning.The Government Task Force on Emergency Planning meets on a regular basis. The next meeting will take place on Monday, 11 November 2013. So far this year there have been four meetings of the Government Task Force on Emergency Planning, of which I have chaired three. I was unable to attend the meeting held on 26 June 2013.

While the details of matters discussed at meetings of the Government Task Force on Emergency Planning are confidential, I can confirm that the Task Force examines current risks and supports coordination arrangements for emergency planning across Government.

The Task Force is regularly briefed on such matters as the current security threat, which is provided by An Garda Síochána and the Defence Forces, as well as receiving regular updates specifically from the lead Government Departments, such as the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government, which chairs the National Steering Group under the Framework for Major Emergency Management, along with having lead Government Department roles and responsibilities in eleven of the forty two emergency scenarios identified in the Lead, Principal and Other Support Roles in Ireland.

The next Government Task Force meeting on 11 November 2013 will report on such items but will also focus on winter preparedness. After that meeting, together with my colleague Phil Hogan, T.D, Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government, we will launch the 'Be Winter Ready' information campaign. The purpose of the campaign is to provide information to the public on how best to prepare for winter. The advice is being delivered via Aertel page 592, booklets and through the website . In addition, a twitter account is being launched and will be tweeting during the winter period to augment the ‘Be Winter Ready’ campaign. Follow on @emergencyIE and join in the conversation at #bewinterready.