Fergus O'Dowd (Louth, Fine Gael)
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212. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the way in which his Department responded to the declaration of the status red alert weather warning in relation to its own employees; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [47932/17]

Charles Flanagan (Laois, Fine Gael)
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I would like to extend my deepest sympathies to the relatives of those who lost their lives on 16 October last. The arrangements made in relation to my own Department are as follows:

The National Emergency Co-Ordination Group convened on Sunday 15^thOctober and was attended, as is usual, by a member of my Department’s senior management. Following the Group's initial meeting, it was decided to close my Department's offices in Killarney on Monday 16 October because of the red weather warning for certain counties including Kerry. A decision was also taken not to transport prisoners in custody to court in those counties. Arrangements were also discussed with senior management in both the Courts Service and the Legal Aid Board as they also had staff in the affected counties. Later on Sunday evening, when the red weather warning was extended to cover the entire country, it was decided to close all of my Department’s offices on Monday.

An email was issued to all staff late on Sunday evening advising them of the office closure on Monday. Many managers with official mobile phones were contacted by text and both managers and staff with mobile email access were asked to contact their colleagues as not all staff have access to emails outside of office hours. The closure message was also shared via the Department’s Website and Twitter account. Nevertheless, a small number of staff still reported for duty on Monday 16^thOctober. My Department is currently reviewing its protocols for contacting staff in the event of an emergency to help ensure that all staff can be informed in a timely manner.