Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire Stáit, an Teachta O’Donnell, chuig an Teach seo inniu. The Minister of State is very welcome to the House this afternoon, and I thank him for taking time out to be here.

As the Minister of State is well aware, floods have brought havoc to many parts of our country. Unfortunately, these are no longer rare or isolated events and with climate change being what it is, they are going to increase with the passage of time. In an instance like that, when floods are potentially going to affect homes, they can be devastating for many families. It is natural that in such circumstances, when people fear that their homes are going to be flooded and when they call the emergency services, they should get a response, which is exactly what happens 99% of the time.

However, I was contacted about an event recently in the north west of the country where homeowners feared their houses were going to be flooded, and with good reason. They contacted the fire services only to be told that, unfortunately, the fire brigade had no responsibility when it came to a non-risk-of-life situation, which that would have been, to be fair. I fully understand the fire brigade is a first responder and must be available at all times, not just for fires but for many other incidents, including cardiac arrest and many other emergencies. However, when people fear their homes are going to be flooded, who are they meant to call?

It is important we give complete clarity on that because, as the Minister of State knows, it is a very stressful situation when you see water levels rising and you know it is only a matter of time before your house is flooded. You need to be able to pick up the phone and speak to somebody. There appears to be a level of confusion as to who that first phone call should be made to. I am talking about responses regarding fires, storms and heavy rainfall. It is only proper that each time we talk about that, we talk about the response our emergency services give in situations like that, be it a local authority, the fire services, the ESB crews who go out to try to restore services or phone crews who go out to try to repair lines. Everybody puts their shoulder to the wheel.

This particular instance in the north west of the country was a very frightening experience for the people concerned, and when they rang up and were told that, they felt totally isolated in that they had nobody to call. It is vital that our citizens and communities know who to call in the event of an emergency and they should expect to get a response when they do make that call.

I thank the Senator for raising this important issue and providing me with the opportunity to clarify the role of my Department and the local authority sector in relation to flood response. I am taking this Commencement matter on behalf of the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Deputy Browne.

My Department is mandated to undertake the lead government function for the co-ordination of a whole-of-government response to exceptionally severe weather events. The national directorate for fire and emergency management, NDFEM, carries out this function within my Department, as assigned under the strategic emergency management framework.

Local authorities are designated with the responsibility for the response to severe weather emergencies, including flooding. It is widely acknowledged that local authorities consistently demonstrate both leadership and capacity in dealing with severe weather incidents. All local authorities prepare and operate individual severe weather and flood plans, relevant to their local flood risk and response capabilities, that guide their response to flooding and other severe weather events.

After Storm Éowyn, my Department undertook a comprehensive review of severe weather and flood plans across all 31 local authorities. The review identified a wide range of good practice but it also highlighted variations in structure, terminology, clarity of roles and varying level of operational detail. Examples of good practice have been circulated to support learning and continuous improvement in the evolution of local authority plans. This was followed by a workshop aimed at strengthening severe weather and flood plans in November 2025, attended by all local authorities and other relevant agencies. Local authorities have now been tasked with reviewing and updating their plans. These will be reviewed in 2026 by the NDFEM as part of the ongoing national preparedness and assurance work.

In the context of my Department, a number of measures were taken in advance of the 2025-26 winter season to ensure a co-ordinated response to severe weather and flooding events going forward. A priority following Storm Éowyn was the development of the community hub concept into community support centres. Guidance on community support centres was issued by the national directorate for fire and emergency management to all local authorities in June 2025, and it was updated in December 2025. A further review will take place in quarter 2 2026 to incorporate learnings from the recent winter season. Community support centres were activated in Donegal during Storm Amy in October 2025 to assist impacted communities. A community support centre was also activated in Aughrim, County Wicklow following flooding in January 2026.

In addition, local authorities have undertaken a procurement process to obtain mobile generators in conjunction with the Department of Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht. These generators will be available to be deployed rapidly when required to support community support centres. To facilitate the operation of the generators at individual community support centres, the installation of a changeover switch is required to enable the premises to switch from mains power to the generator. My Department is providing funding to all local authorities to enhance the resilience of designated centres through the installation of a suitable manual changeover switch that can be utilised with the local authority mobile generators funded by the Department of Community and Rural Development and the Gaeltacht.

All local authorities prepared for this winter season, increasing supplies of sandbags and salt for road treatment. Programmes of clearing debris from gullies, etc., have been managed through the past number of months. The sector has worked with local contractors, such as forestry and agricultural contractors, to formalise arrangements for the speedy activation of road clearing and other services when required. The sector also continues to work with the Department of Transport and TII to co-ordinate winter preparedness for road networks, including availability of salt stocks for local authorities as necessary throughout the winter season.

My Department continues to engage with all relevant sectors on the co-ordination of the response to severe weather and major flooding events, maintaining a close working relationship with the local authorities and co-ordinating appropriate response arrangements as necessary. Local authorities are the first responders. They are the ones that receive the calls when roads are flooded or trees are down. The local authorities are the first responders, but I will come back to the Senator in this regard.

I thank the Minister of State. At least we have got through winter and it is now spring.

I thank the Minister of State for the comprehensive response. I fully accept that he is taking this on behalf of the Minister. I welcome that he is bringing complete clarity to the situation so that if someone feels their home is going to be flooded, the first call they should make is to the local authority. It is the local authority that decides – I am assuming based on the gravity of the situation - what the next step in that process will be. I welcome the clarity the Minister of State has brought. It is important the message goes out there that, in an emergency, people are very clear as to who to call.

I thank Senator Gallagher again for raising this important issue, which I have taken on behalf of the Minister, Deputy Browne. It is important to acknowledge the vitally important work undertaken by local authorities across the country during incidents of flooding and severe weather events more generally. Local authorities are the first responders. They receive the call when roads are flooded, trees are down, riverbanks have broken, and homes and critical infrastructure are at risk. Fire services, road and outdoor crews, and emergency management teams are ready to deploy to assist their communities 365 days a year. I am sure I speak for everyone when I thank them.

The time, effort and planning that goes into being ready to respond to such events should be acknowledged. Local authorities have plans in place that they continue to refine and enhance. They are also implementing resilience measures, such as having generators ready for community support centres to ensure communities can be supported during high-impact events. My Department continues to work with all local authorities as they develop their resilience and continue to invest in the fire service, which is the principal response agency in the context of severe weather and flooding. As can be seen in the fire service capital programme just announced by my colleague, the Minister, Deputy Browne, the 2026-2030 programme will see €28.5 million invested to strengthen fire and emergency services nationwide so they are able to respond when communities are at risk.

I thank the Minister of State, Deputy O'Donnell, for his time and for taking two Commencement matters.