Louis O'Hara (Galway East, Sinn Fein)
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1263. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government if the Office for emergency planning has undertaken a review of emergency response procedures following the damage caused by Storm Éowyn in January 2025; if such a review was undertaken, when was the review undertaken and completed; to provide a list of the Departments, State agencies, local authorities and other entities provided feedback; what was learned from the review; and if any emergency response procedures were changed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46619/25]

Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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1299. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the current status of the review into the response of the State and State agencies to the impact of storm Éowyn; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [47233/25]

Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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1300. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the measures that have been put in place by his Department to ensure strategic emergency management responses to future storm and severe weather events taking into account the experiences and learnings of winter 2024/2025 and the review into the response by the State and State agencies to the impact of storm Éowyn; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [47249/25]

Cormac Devlin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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1320. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the key lessons identified following recent severe weather events [47969/25]

James Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 1263, 1299, 1300 and 1320 together.

Storm Éowyn was named by the UK Met Office on Tuesday 21 January 2025, the fifth named storm of the 2024-25 windstorm season.  Widespread red and orange weather warnings were issued across Ireland and the United Kingdom ahead of the rapidly strengthening storm.  Ireland experienced one of its most damaging, dangerous and destructive weather events with gale force/storm force winds, including severe damaging and destructive gusts of over 183 km/h, a record for Ireland.

As the Lead Government Department for coordinating a response to severe weather, my Department's National Directorate for Fire & Emergency Management co-ordinated the ‘whole-of-Government’ response to this severe weather event through the National Emergency Co-ordination Group (NECG).  

Following the conclusion of the response by the NECG, it is the responsibility of the Lead Government Department, under section 6.15 of the Strategic Emergency Management Framework to undertake a review and report to the Government Task Force (GTF).   

A review of the coordinated response to Storm Éowyn is currently underway, examining all aspects of the response to Storm Éowyn, with a view to identifying the key lessons across all sectors and the implementation of recommendations. A Steering Group and two subgroups (Humanitarian Assistance and Critical Infrastructure & Essential Services) have been formed with a membership of officials from across Government, utility and energy suppliers, Principal Response Agencies, the transport sector and local authorities.  The focus of the review is on planning for future storms and strengthening resilience and coordination across all sectors. 

It is anticipated that the review findings will be submitted to the Government Task Force on Emergency Planning shortly.

Louis O'Hara (Galway East, Sinn Fein)
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1264. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government if the 2006 Framework for Major Emergency Management was reviewed in light of the damage caused by storm Éowyn in January 2025; if so, when the review was undertaken and completed; to provide a list of the Departments, State agencies, local authorities and other entities provided feedback; what was learned from the review; and if any emergency response procedures were changed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46620/25]

James Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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Storm Éowyn was named by the UK Met Office on Tuesday 21 January 2025, the fifth named storm of the 2024-25 windstorm season. Widespread red and orange weather warnings were issued across Ireland and the United Kingdom ahead of the rapidly strengthening storm. Ireland experienced one of its most damaging, dangerous and destructive weather events with gale force/storm force winds, including severe damaging and destructive gusts of over 183 km/h, a record for Ireland.

As the Lead Government Department for coordinating a response to severe weather, my Department's National Directorate for Fire & Emergency Management section co-ordinated the ‘whole-of-Government’ response to this severe weather event through the National Emergency Co-ordination Group (NECG).

Following the conclusion of the response by the NECG, it is the responsibility of the Lead Government Department, under section 6.15 of the Strategic Emergency Management Framework to undertake a review and report to the Government Task Force (GTF).

A review of the coordinated response to Storm Éowyn is currently underway, examining all aspects of the response to Storm Éowyn, with a view to identifying the key lessons across all sectors and the implementation of recommendations. A Steering Group and two subgroups (Humanitarian Assistance and Critical Infrastructure & Essential Services) have been formed with a membership of officials from across Government, utility and energy suppliers, Principal Response Agencies, the transport sector and local authorities. The focus of the review is on planning for future storms and strengthening resilience and coordination across all sectors.

It is anticipated that the review findings will be submitted to the Government Task Force on Emergency Planning once the report is completed.

With regard to the Framework for Major Emergency Management, a review of this critical document was instigated before Ireland experienced the damaging effects of Storm Éowyn in January 2025. This review is ongoing, involves representatives from all the Principal Response Agencies, relevant Government Departments and the local authority sector and is informed by their experiences of their use of the Framework over the last number of years and developments in the field of Emergency Management.