Seán Fleming (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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635. To ask the Minister for Defence the amount of payment per week to Civil Defence instructors and the number of persons throughout the country to which this is being paid and the commitment expected from the instructors for this amount notwithstanding most of the work is of a voluntary nature; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19002/14]

Seán Fleming (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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636. To ask the Minister for Defence the arrangements in place for payment for overseeing the Civil Defence on a county basis throughout the country; the number of branches on a county basis and the number of volunteers on a county basis; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19004/14]

Seán Fleming (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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637. To ask the Minister for Defence if he will outline any recent discussions or conciliations through the labour relations mechanisms involving his Department and the Civil Defence instructors and other persons involved in the Civil Defence; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19005/14]

Alan Shatter (Dublin South, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 635 to 637, inclusive, together.

Civil Defence Volunteers who declare an interest in qualifying as Instructors at local level are obliged to undertake significant additional training. Qualification, through the Civil Defence College, is to a national standard. Instructor certification is generally issued through the College and the relevant national certifying agency. In order to maintain their Instructor qualification they are expected to deliver a minimum number of courses per annum.

I would like to acknowledge the dedication and commitment of Civil Defence Volunteer Instructors. The skills demonstrated by Volunteers in responding to emergencies and at community events are testament to the high quality training they have received locally. A system has been in place for many years to allow for the payment of a fee to qualified Instructors for delivering courses of instruction at local level. The fees are paid by the local authorities from the annual grant provided by my Department to local authorities for Civil Defence purposes.

In 2013 an Equality Tribunal decision in a case brought by two Instructors in Offaly deemed that payment of Instructor Fees gave rise to employment status. Consequently my Department sought legal advice from the Attorney General’s Office with regard to the implications of the Equality Tribunal decision for Civil Defence. That advice favoured the abolition of Instructor Fees. Further advice has been obtained from the Attorney General’s Office and my Department is now considering how best to proceed in the matter.

In the interim, Instructors Fees continue to be paid. Local authorities, their Civil Defence Officers and the Volunteer Representative on the Civil Defence Forum been consulted on the matter and their views will be taken into consideration before any decision is made. Travel and subsistence payments, where applicable, are not affected by the Tribunal decision.

As I have stated publicly on a number of occasions, I would like to pay tribute on my own behalf and on behalf of the Government to all Civil Defence Volunteers who unselfishly provide assistance to their local communities in time of need. Table ‘A’ sets out the number of Volunteers within Civil Defence in each local authority area as recorded in the Civil Defence Register to a total of 4492 as of 24^thApril 2014. Table ‘B’ sets out the number of Civil Defence training centres within each of those local authority areas. Table ‘C’ sets out the total amounts paid in Instructor Fees in each authority area, together with the number of claimants, as advised to my Department by local authorities for 2012.

Table ‘A’

NUMBER OF ACTIVE CIVIL DEFENCE VOLUNTEERS AS OF 24^THAPRIL 2014

Table ‘B’

Civil Defence training centres in each local authority area

Civil Defence Unit Training Centres

Table ‘C’

Instructor Fees paid in 2012