Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein)
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42. To ask the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence if the Office of Emergency Planning has carried out an examination of the potential for a rapid response unit to be deployed when necessary to co-ordinate offers of help and assistance to those experiencing hardship following a severe weather event as per the Programme for Partnership Government. [13244/18]

Paul Kehoe (Wexford, Fine Gael)
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A review of the response to the flooding of December 2015/January 2016 was completed by the then Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government in September 2016 and was presented to the relevant oversight bodies. The Review Report’s overall conclusion was that existing co-ordination arrangements, at both local and national levels, are appropriate and effective. However, a number of recommendations for enhancing the overall response to flooding were identified and are being implemented by relevant response organisations. This process will continue to be informed by further reports currently being compiled by the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government on severe weather events such as Ex-Hurricane Ophelia in 2017 and the more recent Storm Emma. In this context, the Office of Emergency Planning and the Government Task Force on Emergency Planning will continue to monitor progress.