Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)
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671. To ask the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence the contingency plans his Department has drawn up to allow the rapid deployment of troops to respond effectively to flooding emergencies and other natural disasters. [39979/16]

Paul Kehoe (Wexford, Fine Gael)
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In accordance with the Framework for Major Emergency Management, primary responsibility for responding to severe weather events including flooding rests with the three designated principal response agencies. These are the relevant Local Authority, An Garda Síochána, and the Health Service Executive. In accordance with agreed arrangements, all of the available resources of the Defence Forces are made available, upon request and subject to operational requirements, to support these principal response agencies.

At National level, 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.

Major Emergency Plans have been developed by local and regional authorities and these Plans identify the procedures for requesting assistance from the Defence Forces. The role of the Defence Forces in these situations is dependent on the nature of the incident and the type of assistance requested.

My Department has put in place Memorandum of Understandings and Service Level Agreements with other Governments Departments and Agencies to ensure the maintenance of essential services and to capture the wide ranging supports in both routine and non-routine and emergency scenarios that the Defence Forces may provide.

In November 2016 a detailed letter was prepared by my Department officials to inform the Local Authorities regarding the wide range of capabilities that the Defence Forces can bring to an emergency response. They were also advised of the local call-out arrangements. The call out procedure provides for 24/7/365 contact with the Department of Defence and the Defence Forces.

I am satisfied that when requested, assistance provided by the Defence Forces is provided in a co-ordinated way and that the tried and tested arrangements work well in response to emergency situations.