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The Minister for Justice, Equality and Defence, Mr. Alan Shatter, T.D., received the approval of the Government on 12 July 2011 to begin drafting legislation to transfer the functions of the Civil Defence Board back into the Department of Defence.

The Cabinet today approved the proposal in the context of current Government policy to bring the functions of many state agencies back into their parent Department. This transfer of functions will result in verifiable savings and will allow management to develop Civil Defence rather than duplicate the corporate governance of the Department.

If the proposed Bill is enacted, it will repeal the Civil Defence Act 2002, dissolve the Civil Defence Board and transfer its functions, property, rights, liabilities and other responsibilities to the Department of Defence.

The Civil Defence Board was established in 2003, following the Civil Defence Act 2002, to co-ordinate the operation and future development of civil defence at national level and to advise the Minister on policy issues.

Prior to the establishment of the Board, its functions were the responsibility of a branch of the Department of Defence. Political accountability to the Oireachtas for the discharge of the Board’s functions has however remained with the Minister, and the Secretary General of the Department is still the accounting officer for all expenditure on the Board’s part. An interim Board will remain in place until the legislation is enacted.