Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour)
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53. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government his plans to assist local authorities to protect communities from the threat of flooding as the winter approaches; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28478/16]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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Local authorities are designated as the Lead Agency for responding to severe weather events, including flooding. The response to all emergencies is appropriately locally-led in the first instance. The generic response arrangements are detailed in A Framework for Major Emergency Management(2006). Specific guidance for responding to severe weather events is outlined in A Guide to Flood Emergencies(2013) and A Guide to Severe Weather Events(2010). Local authorities have in place severe weather sub-plans based on this guidance material.

Met Éireann alerts local authorities directly when severe weather is forecast and such warnings are received by a severe weather assessment team within a local authority. The severe weather assessment team take the appropriate action to scale a response and to ensure resources are in place to support a response. During last winter’s flooding, this approach helped to anticipate and prepare for the response required by local authorities.

In their role as Lead Agency, local authorities carry out a number of functions during the response stage of flooding events and deal with recovery issues in conjunction with other responsible agencies. The local authority role includes:

- Coordinating an inter-agency response;

- Continuously monitoring forecasts/alerts/ warnings to scale the appropriate response measures;

- Operating Flood Defences and deploying sand-bag defences;

- Clearing debris and fallen trees;

- Flood Rescue and pumping water (fire service); and

- Public Communication.

When required, local authorities liaise with the other Principal Response Agencies (HSE, An Garda Síochána) and, where necessary, activate inter-agency structures to manage the response.

The procedures for coordination of emergencies, such as flooding events, at national level are set out in Guidelines for Coordinating a National Level Emergency/ Crisis Response, published by the Office of Emergency Planning in the Department of Defence, in 2011. This document also sets out the designated lead Government Department for 41 risk scenarios identified for Ireland.

Where a situation merits, national level support can be brought to bear and the ‘lead Government Department’ will lead the coordination of the national level response. The purpose of this is to bring “whole of Government” support to bear in assisting the local response if required, to manage the national level issues and to ensure that information is provided to the public.

As lead Government Department for severe weather, my Department convened and chaired a National Coordination Group on Severe Weather during last winter’s flooding events on the basis of the Guidelines referred to above. In accordance with standing procedures, all aspects of these severe weather events, including response and coordination at national levels, are being reviewed and any lessons identified will be incorporated into future operating procedures.