Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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143. To ask the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence the documents published by his Department since 1 January 2016 (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27903/19]

Paul Kehoe (Wexford, Fine Gael)
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In accordance with the provisions of the Public Service Management Act 1997, the current Department of Defence and Defence Forces Strategy Statement, covering the period 2017–2020, was approved by the Taoiseach, as Minister for Defence, on 17^thDecember 2017 and published in January 2018. Development of the Strategy Statement followed consultation with staff throughout the Defence Organisation, the Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence, as well as with the Defence Forces’ Representative Associations.

The Government Task Force (GTF) on Emergency Planning provides strategic direction and coordination of national-level emergency planning. It comprises Ministers and/or senior officials from all government departments and key public bodies. As part of the work of the GTF, a review of the existing national-level structures and processes was initiated in 2014 and this culminated in the production of the “Strategic Emergency Management (SEM): National Structures and Framework” document, which was published following Government approval in July 2017 with associated guideline documents developed in 2018 and 2019. The aim of the SEM document and its associated annexes is to ensure that all state bodies can react quickly and efficiently to any large-scale emergency. It provides strategic guidance and direction on various elements of emergency management at a national-level to government departments and agencies under their aegis.

As the Minister with responsibility for Defence, and as Chair of the GTF on Emergency Planning, I also submitted the National Risk Assessment (NRA) for Ireland 2017to Government on 21 November 2017 and it was subsequently published on the Office of Emergency Planning website (July 2018). The purpose of the NRA for Ireland 2017 is to identify hazards facing the State across a broad range of emergencies, to assess the likelihood and impact of these hazards and to inform actions at national level aimed at mitigating such risks, including the allocation of resources.