merrion street

Defence Minister Alan Shatter today launched the Winter-Ready Information Campaign at the National Emergency Coordination Centre in Dublin. Also in attendance at the launch were Environment Minister Phil Hogan, and Transport Minister Leo Varadkar, together with representatives from the various Departments and Agencies tasked with emergency response.

The launch coincided with a meeting of the Government Task Force on Emergency Planning, Chaired by Minister Shatter, which dealt with winter-preparedness issues.

This is the first time that such a campaign has been undertaken. Through a dedicated website

, advice is being made available from a number of sources including Government Departments, An Garda Síochána, the Health Service Executive, Local Authorities and the transport providers. 

The main objectives of the campaign are:

• To provide practical advice to on how best to prepare for the coming winter.
• To ensure the public are aware of where advice and help can be found, if needed.
• To reassure the public that preparations are being made and arrangements have been put in place to ensure that there will be a coordinated response to severe weather events.

You can watch Minister Alan Shatter's statement at the launch below...

You can watch Minister Leo Varadkar's statement from the launch below...

You can watch Minister Phil Hogan's statement from the launch below...

View the Taoiseach's message on the Winter Ready campaign below...