A multi-million euro publicity campaign will begin in January to inform people about the Government's emergency plans for disasters.
The three-year initiative will produce and distribute a DVD or handbook to explain specific responses by relevant Government departments to catastrophes like terrorist attacks or nuclear accidents.
The Defence Department today sought interested bidders for the contract on behalf of the Office of Emergency Planning (OEP).
Defence Minister Willie O'Dea brought the proposals to the weekly Cabinet meeting on October 17th and they were approved. "The contract is to plan and deliver a Public Information and Awareness Campaign on Emergency Planning in Ireland over a three-year period.
The period will start from when the contract is signed," a spokesman for the OEP said. Earlier this year, the OEP carried out preliminary research to identify the concerns and questions of the general public regarding potential emergencies, such as a nuclear accident at Sellafield or a major terrorist attack.
Applications from public relations firms from across the EU will also be considered as the tender notice appeared in the EU Journal.
The closing date is January 10th, 2007. "The task will be to gather information from all the Government departments on emergency plans in place and present this information in an accessible format to inform and reassure householders. "We basically want to let people know what plans are out there," added the OEP spokesman.
Mr O'Dea currently chairs the National Taskforce on Emergency Planning, which met for the first time last year.
The high-level committee, which includes representatives of Government departments, the Garda and Defence Forces, meets on average every six weeks. The OEP said it would be keeping an open mind on the exact nature of the campaign and would be considering all proposals submitted.
Fine Gael defence spokesman Billy Timmins tonight called for all emergency plans to be independently audited by international experts. The Fine Gael TD added: "Of course I welcome any dissemination of information about emergency planning.
PA