Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 17 May 2017
38. Deputy Peter Burke asked the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence the position on the relocation of the Westmeath Civil Defence headquarters further to his officials meeting members of Westmeath County Council; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23085/17]
View answerAs Minister of State with responsibility for defence, I provide policy direction for Civil Defence and oversee the management and development of Civil Defence at national level. At local level, Civil Defence units are based in each local authority area under the operational control of the relevant local authority. On a day-to-day basis, these units operate under the control of a Civil Defence officer who is a full-time employee of the local authority.
Civil Defence operating costs in each county are co-funded by the Department of Defence and the local authority. The Department provides 70% of the funding by way of an annual grant, with the remaining 30% funded by the local authority. The provision of accommodation for local Civil Defence units is the responsibility of the relevant local authority. This is a long-standing position which was reaffirmed in the 2015 White Paper on Defence. Civil Defence units provide significant supports for their local authorities and other principal response agencies. I have witnessed at first hand their response to flooding events and I am aware that Westmeath Civil Defence was active in support of the local community during the flooding in late 2015 and early 2016.
Senior officials of the Department have met senior officials of Westmeath County Council to discuss the options available to the council in the provision of accommodation for Westmeath Civil Defence. The council declined an initial option of availing of Columb Barracks for use, including for use by Civil Defence. My Department has recently received correspondence from the council and I expect further engagement on the matter of accommodation for the Civil Defence unit to take place in the near future.
Further to a visit to the former temporary headquarters of Civil Defence in Mullingar, County Westmeath, I tabled a Topical Issue and had a debate with the Minister of State because of the conditions in which the organisation was accommodated. My party colleague on Westmeath County Council, Councillor Andrew Duncan, tabled a motion at a recent meeting to encourage the local authority to put a plan together for the location of a permanent facility for Westmeath Civil Defence. Unfortunately, the organisation has been treated badly by the State because it was put in a disgraceful location and volunteers were challenged every day by the surroundings in which they had to work. I appeal to the Minister of State to ensure his Department liaises strongly with the county council because a number of options are on the table and a solution is needed for volunteers who are the first responders in many incidents.
I facilitated a meeting with the Deputy, local people and Civil Defence volunteers and was informed about the state of the Civil Defence facilities in County Westmeath. They are not fit for purpose, especially for volunteers who give freely of their time. Communications are continuing between my Department and the local authority in County Westmeath to come up with more permanent and suitable accommodation for Civil Defence members in Athlone. I have instructed senior management to communicate directly with the county council. The Deputy has brought this issue to my attention on numerous occasions, with the volunteers and Civil Defence members.
I acknowledge that the Minister of State has a strong interest in Civil Defence. It is important that volunteers be respected and that we encourage them. He has visited many locations around the country, which I encourage. It is important to liaise strongly with volunteers, but it is also important to secure a permanent solution for Westmeath Civil Defence. The organisation needs to house expensive equipment in appropriate locations and train volunteers in state-of-the-art facilities. These volunteers give of their time free of charge and work to support their communities. They support events such as Darkness into Light and Crinniú na Cásca. I would be grateful if the Minister of State kept the pressure on and thank him for meeting a Civil Defence delegation at his office in Leinster House. We need to keep the issue to the fore.
I support what the Deputy is calling for. Civil Defence should be properly resourced and housed in appropriate and modern facilities. They should be appropriate in the first instance and modernised as funding comes available. Such funding should always have been available. My question relates to other uses for Columb Barracks. Has consideration been given to using part of the site for homeless former veterans? The Irish United Nations Veterans Association raised this issue with me and probably the Minister of State.
We have been in consultation with Westmeath County Council on the vacant premises at Columb Barracks and asked officials to come up with a plan. As the Deputy noted, the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government recently examined all vacant lands in the country for housing. My Department is dealing with that matter. I have asked the officials in the property management section to proceed with the sale of Columb Barracks. For safety reasons I do not like barracks to be left vacant.
With regard to Westmeath Civil Defence, my Department resources Civil Defence adequately and fully funds specialised equipment. I encourage senior officials in Westmeath County Council to take this matter seriously. I agree with Deputy Peter Burke that the permanent facilities for the volunteer members of Westmeath Civil Defence are not adequate and need to be replaced. My officials will work closely with the local authority in that regard.
