Civil Defence Act 2023

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Register of civil defence volunteers

7. (1) Each local authority shall establish and maintain a register of civil defence volunteers and, in relation to the local authority that established it, it shall be known as the “Register of Civil Defence Volunteers” (in this Act referred to as the “Register”).

(2) Without prejudice to the generality of subsection (1), any register (“the first‑mentioned register”) of civil defence members (within the meaning of the Civil Defence Act 2012 ) maintained by a local authority immediately before the coming into operation of this section shall, for the purposes of this Act, be deemed to be the Register and all entries in and alterations to the first-mentioned register shall be taken as entries in and alterations to, as the case may be, the Register.

(3) The Register shall be maintained by a local authority with respect to the civil defence volunteers in its civil defence unit and in such form, including in electronic form, and including such information, as the Minister may determine.

(4) Without prejudice to the generality of subsection (3), and where necessary and proportionate for the maintenance of accurate information relating to civil defence volunteers, the Register may include the following information relating to a civil defence volunteer:

(a) the volunteer’s name;

(b) the volunteer’s home address, email address and telephone number;

(c) the volunteer’s date of birth;

(d) the date on which the volunteer was registered by the local authority concerned;

(e) records of the volunteer’s training for the purposes of carrying out duties as a civil defence volunteer;

(f) records of the volunteer’s qualifications for the purposes of carrying out duties as a civil defence volunteer;

(g) records of the volunteer’s attendance at, and carrying out of, duties as a civil defence volunteer;

(h) a unique number assigned to the volunteer which shall be used to identify the volunteer;

(i) medical information, only insofar as such information is required to assess the capability of the person to carry out duties as a civil defence volunteer in respect of which such medical information is required;

(j) details of the volunteer’s driving licence;

(k) the most recent date of a vetting disclosure made in respect of the volunteer by the National Vetting Bureau of the Garda Síochána under section 14 of the Act of 2012 for the purposes of carrying out duties as a civil defence volunteer;

(l) details of equipment and clothing issued to the volunteer for the purpose of carrying out duties as a civil defence volunteer;

(m) such other information as the local authority considers appropriate or as the Minister may from time to time determine for the purposes of this Act.

(5) Subject to subsections (6), (7) and (8), information in the Register shall be made available for inspection by the following persons only:

(a) the Chief Executive of the local authority concerned in respect only of the civil defence volunteers in its civil defence unit;

(b) such members of staff of the local authority concerned as the Chief Executive of that local authority may designate in writing for the purposes of this subsection in respect only of the civil defence volunteers in its civil defence unit;

(c) the Minister or such officers of the Minister as the Minister may designate in writing for the purposes of this subsection.

(6) Subject to subsection (7), information may be entered in the Register or amended by the following persons only:

(a) such members of staff of the local authority concerned as the Chief Executive of that local authority may designate in writing for the purposes of this subsection in respect only of the civil defence volunteers in its civil defence unit;

(b) the Minister or such officers of the Minister as the Minister may designate in writing for the purposes of this subsection.

(7) (a) In respect of medical information referred to in subsection (4)(i), subject to paragraph (b), only civil defence officers employed by the local authority concerned are permitted to access and process such information in respect of the Register of that local authority.

(b) Where a local authority has no civil defence officer or a civil defence officer is absent or otherwise unable to perform his or her functions under this Act, the Chief Executive of the local authority may designate a member of staff of that local authority not below the local authority grade that is equivalent to that of civil defence officer to perform the function conferred on a civil defence officer under paragraph (a) in respect of medical information referred to in subsection (4)(i).

(8) A civil defence volunteer is entitled to inspect any entry on the Register that relates to that volunteer.

(9) Where it comes to the notice of a local authority that information entered in the Register relating to a volunteer is incorrect, subject to subsection (7), such members of staff of the local authority concerned as are designated under subsection (6)(a) shall, for the purpose of ensuring that the information entered in the Register is correct, make such alterations to the Register as are considered necessary and shall notify the volunteer in writing of any such alteration.

(10) If a civil defence volunteer becomes aware that information included in the Register relating to the volunteer is not correct, or ceases to be correct, the civil defence volunteer concerned shall notify the relevant local authority in writing and, subject to subsection (7), such members of staff of the local authority concerned as are designated under subsection (6)(a) shall correct the Register as soon as practicable.

(11) Information entered in the Register shall be stored only for as long as is necessary for the purposes of this section and in accordance with the Data Protection Regulation and the Data Protection Act 2018 and in every case medical information referred to in subsection (4)(i) shall be removed from the Register as soon as practicable after a person ceases to be a civil defence volunteer.