Noel McCarthy (Cork East, Fine Gael)
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357. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government further to Parliamentary Question No. 231 of 8 May 2025, what constitutes a major emergency or disaster; if there is criteria for such; if any national storm events in the previous five years have been classed as posing significant and imminent threat to human life, property or the environment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27004/25]

James Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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The Framework for Major Emergency Management was adopted by a Government decision in 2006. Its purpose is to set out common arrangements and structures for the preparation for, and management of Major Emergencies by the Principal Response Agencies.

The local authorities, An Garda Síochána and the HSE are designated as the Principal Response Agencies with the lead agency for each emergency type specified in the Framework. The Principal Response Agencies may declare a major emergency in line with their Major Emergency Plan.

The Framework defines a Major Emergency as follows:

A Major Emergency is any event which, usually with little or no warning, causes or threatens death or injury, serious disruption of essential services or damage to property, the environment or infrastructure, beyond the normal capabilities of the principal emergency services in the area in which the event occurs, and requires the activation of specific additional procedures and the mobilisation of additional resources to ensure an effective, co-ordinated response.

Further details can be found in the Framework linked below;

Local authorities are designated as the Lead Agency for response to flooding and severe weather in the Framework. Met Éireann provides forecasts and graded warnings of severe weather in advance of the event. Local authorities activate response measures as necessary working with the other Principal Response Agencies. In the case of exceptionally severe weather events, the National Directorate for Fire & Emergency Management may activate the National Emergency Co-ordination Group (NECG) to support the local response. Arrangements for activation of the NECG are detailed in the Strategic Emergency Management Framework published by the Office of Emergency Planning (2017).

As emergency management co-ordination structures are activated in advance of a weather event, the Principal Response Agencies have in place all the necessary response structures in advance of the event.

No severe weather event was declared as a Major Emergency in the past five years.