A white paper setting out the government's policies and plans for defence was published in February 2000. Section 7 dealt with civil defence.

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7.1 Introduction

Civil Defence forms an important part of overall community support capability. The White Paper sets out the strategy for the continued development of Civil Defence for the next ten years.

7.2 Background to Civil Defence in Ireland

Origins

7.2.1

Civil Defence was set up in 1950 to be part of the national defence structure as the necessary civil response to potential hazards which might arise in a war situation. Civil Defence was designed to undertake non-combatant activities and measures to afford defence against or mitigate the effects on persons and property of an attack on the State or of hazards otherwise arising during a time of war or emergency such as from radioactive fallout or biological or chemical warfare.

7.2.2

Civil Defence operates under legislation that includes the Air Raid Precautions Acts of 1939 and 1946 and the Local Government Acts of 1941 to 1976, and various Statutory Instruments. Under this legislation, Civil Defence is empowered to train and conduct exercises in preparation for its role in wartime.

Management and Organisation

7.2.3

The Minister for Defence usually delegates responsibility for Civil Defence to the Minister of State at the Department who is also Minister of State at the Department of the Taoiseach and Government Chief Whip. Civil Defence services are delivered at local level by the relevant Local Authority. These services are administered by a designated officer, the Civil Defence Officer (an employee of the Local Authority), who normally reports to the County or City Manager.

7.2.4

The Civil Defence Branch of the Department of Defence facilitates, through the Local Authorities, civil defence responses for emergency relief and support to ensure the operation of vital services and to provide other community supports as directed by Government. The Branch is responsible for policy development and the general direction of the volunteer organisation through the Local Authorities. It is also responsible for the administration, training, financing and equipping of the Civil Defence organisation and includes the Civil Defence School - its national training centre. Expenditure incurred by Local Authorities on Civil Defence is grant-aided to the extent of 70% by the Department of Defence. The Department also fully funds capital equipment such as transport vehicles and ambulances which are loaned to Local Authorities.

7.2.5

The Civil Defence organisation has approximately 6,000 volunteer members who are trained in various skills, such as first aid, rescue, fire fighting, emergency feeding, evacuee care, land and water search and radiation monitoring. Civil Defence is an organisation in which Irish citizens can give voluntary service within the framework of local and central government structures.

7.3 Towards 2000 Programme

7.3.1

With the end of the Cold War, the principal focus of Civil Defence in the 1990s changed to one of community support and emergency response. This was highlighted with the launch in 1992 of the development programme "Towards 2000" which was designed to put in place the structures and develop the skills that would enable the organisation face the future challenges. The aim of the programme was to develop Civil Defence as a top class second line emergency service assisting the local community.

7.3.2

The methodology employed was to institute enabling mechanisms for programme development in a number of disciplines. There was a recognition that the development would be largely organic and would vary from one part of the country to the next but that over time the overall level of capability would be raised. Local authorities were asked to identify their Civil Defence needs within a number of areas as set out below.

Develop a response to flooding problems

Develop a response to environmental problems

Develop a response to major emergencies

Revise and update evacuee reception arrangements

Develop a response to plans for radiological emergencies

Develop a response to river, lake and coastal area search and recovery

Develop assistance response in blizzard conditions

Broaden the scope of rescue capability

Stewarding

Develop forest fire-fighting capability.

7.3.3

The Department of Defence introduced an organisational, training, equipment and logistical support programme to facilitate meeting "Towards 2000" objectives.

Personnel and Training

7.3.4

Civil Defence members are volunteers who are very dedicated and highly committed to the idea of community service and work in a structured and disciplined way under the direction of Local Authority Civil Defence Officers.

Annual exercises

7.3.5

A programme of national exercises which is conducted each year provides opportunities for large scale exercising of the members, helps to broaden and deepen skills and provides a forum to inject external influence and expertise into the organisation and provides objective assessment of performance.

Equipment and Logistical Support

7.3.6

Equipment purchase and logistical support development have been progressing in accordance with the "Towards 2000" programme. A primary focus in recent years has been upgrading the ambulance and transport fleet and completing the radio communications network. These are now of a very high standard.

7.4 Changing Environment

Changing Planning Environment

7.4.1

The review that ultimately culminated in the launch of the "Towards 2000" programme was aimed at giving the volunteer organisation a current operational role in society, to make it productive, and to have a resource available, if required, in wartime. It took account of the fact that planning structures that would emerge for any future national emergency would be different from those originally envisaged for Civil Defence. Any new formation would be based on the framework which was being employed to organise the emergency responses of Local Authorities, the Garda Síochána and Health Boards.

7.4.2

Since 1992, the organisation has been learning to operate in close support of the front-line emergency services and so integrate in a meaningful way into the day-to-day emergency planning structures. This has allowed the Civil Defence organisation to focus on serving the needs of local communities. This trend will be continued and developed.

Other trends

7.4.3

The "Towards 2000" development programme has changed the Civil Defence volunteer organisation in that it is now oriented towards community service on an on-going basis. There are increasing demands on the organisation to assist at community events, to respond in times of difficulty in the local area and to contribute to national activity. It is fair to say that the Civil Defence of the 1970s and 1980s would not be recognisable to the younger members of today’s organisation. Certain Local Authorities have developed some of the programmes, under the Department's guidance, to quite a sophisticated extent.

7.4.4

Generally feedback from stakeholders is positive and this was confirmed in the consultative process undertaken in the context of the White Paper which also demonstrated the commitment of those involved in Civil Defence. Of the 46 submissions received on the White Paper on Defence, 13 related directly to Civil Defence matters. Generally the submissions were very supportive of the progress made under the "Towards 2000" programme and sought to give recognition to the valuable work undertaken by members over many years.

7.4.5

The Civil Defence volunteer force is maintained at a very modest cost, has a substantial history of working at community events, in searches, and during emergencies and has maintained its voluntary ethos even while working side by side with full and part-time professional services.

7.4.6

However, in common with other voluntary organisations, Civil Defence has experienced a decline in recruitment and membership. It is clear that the opportunity to serve in Civil Defence should be presented in a more attractive way to assist in recruiting members. Once recruited, it will be necessary to train and sustain personnel in a way that provides a stimulating learning environment. This will involve the use of more sophisticated training packages, the provision of a variety of delivery systems and the development of a pro-active approach to health and safety issues.

7.5 Future Development of Civil Defence

7.5.1

The Government have decided that the Civil Defence mission should continue to be:

To facilitate through the Local Authorities Civil Defence responses for emergency relief and support to ensure the operation of vital services and the maintenance of public life and to provide other community supports as directed by the Government.

7.5.2

In the period 2000 to 2010, Civil Defence will continue to focus its efforts on enhancing its capacity to respond to emergencies as a high-quality second line service in addition to facilitating community support activities. As already announced by the Minister of State, Civil Defence legislation will be updated to reflect the current and future roles of the organisation. This work will be completed as soon as possible.

7.5.3

The voluntary nature of the organisation will be preserved. There is a particular culture and ethos associated with voluntary activity which is widely recognised as being important in building community. This must be nurtured at all levels by continuing to build co-operative relationships with other service organisations but maintaining the distinctiveness of Civil Defence. The volunteer nature of the Civil Defence organisation gives each citizen the opportunity to serve his or her community and it is the public face of the delivery of local authority services at many events. The progress of the Better Local Government initiative of the Department of the Environment and Local Government highlights the importance of such factors.

7.5.4

The training provided to Civil Defence members will continue to be revised and updated in line with best practice throughout the emergency community. Co-ordinated training will be provided to support all needs. Efforts will continue to be made to increase the flexibility in delivery of Civil Defence training and advantage will be taken of the existence of the new opportunities provided by the electronic media, particularly the internet. Liaison with third level institutions on collaborative programmes will continue.

Equipment and Infrastructure

7.5.5

In the period under consideration the necessity for upgrading or replacing systems and equipment will arise. The importance of ensuring good quality equipment has already been highlighted both in the context of ensuring that Civil Defence has the capabilities to do the job required and as an important motivational element in recruiting and retaining members.

7.5.6

The Civil Defence Branch of the Department of Defence maintains liaison with other Government Departments and national bodies with roles in emergencies to ensure effective integration of Civil Defence into response planning. From time to time the question of transferring the Civil Defence policy and general direction functions of the Department of Defence to the Department of the Environment and Local Government has been mooted. Indeed this issue was raised in some submissions received during the White Paper consultative process. The rationale behind this approach is that given the Department of the Environment and Local Government’s lead role in local government policy and development, it would be more appropriate that Civil Defence, which at operational level is the responsibility of the local authorities, should fall within that Department’s ambit. On balance, the Government, having considered the various issues involved, have decided that no change in the present arrangements should be made for the time being.

7.5.7

The Government have further decided that, in line with their policy on decentralisation of public services, the Civil Defence Branch of the Department of Defence will be decentralised to Roscrea as soon as practical arrangements can be put in place.

7.5.8

In addition to the staff cost of the Civil Defence Branch of the Department, expenditure under the Defence Vote on Civil Defence activities in 1999 was £2.5m. This represents a very modest outlay when account is taken of the significant contribution which up to 6,000 volunteers make to their local communities.

7.5.9

The year 2000 marks the 50th Anniversary of the foundation of Civil Defence and a number of special events are planned to mark the occasion. As an additional recognition of the selfless contribution by so many to local communities, the Government approved an extra allocation of £500,000 in the year 2000 for Civil Defence purposes. This represents an increase of almost 25% on the 1999 expenditure and the Government have also decided to maintain this increase in future years. This demonstrates the Government’s appreciation of the efforts of those involved in Civil Defence