The Government will advertise shortly for volunteers with specific specialist expertise as part of its plans to create a "rapid response" humanitarian force to assist in disasters abroad. Details have also been finalised on plans to stockpile humanitarian supplies at two sites, one in southern Italy, as part of the initiative.
Minister for Foreign Affairs Dermot Ahern, who is overseeing the initiative, has also initiated talks with other Government departments, with a view to enabling personnel with relevant emergency response experience and skills to take part in the team.
The plan comes in the wake of the 2004 Asian tsunami, and the many offers of help the Government received. It will be the first time the Government has put in place a formal structure for direct humanitarian assistance. Traditionally the response to humanitarian disaster was to provide financial assistance to agencies and affected states.
The rapid response team will be one of only a few such groups operated by a European government.Normally governments deploy military-led teams in response to humanitarian disasters.
As part of the plan, the Government will assemble two stockpiles of humanitarian aid, consisting mainly of shelters, tents and water sanitation and purification equipment. One stockpile will be close to Dublin and Baldonnel airports - probably in the Curragh, Co Kildare - for rapid deployment by Defence Forces or other agencies.
A second will be at the international port of Brindisi, Italy, which acts as a UN logistics hub. The Government will renew the stockpiles every six months.
A key part of the plan will be the setting up of a register of people with varied expertise from both the Defence Forces, public sector and private sector, willing to travel at 24 hours notice as part of an emergency response team to a humanitarian disaster.
It is believed UN relief bodies have asked the Government for the Irish response team to have a concentration of experts with information and communications technology skills. They have identified this gap as a significant hindrance to effective organised humanitarian responses.
Advertisements will be placed in the national media over the summer with a view to having a register of up to 50 experts in place by the autumn. Employers will have to be willing to release employees within 24 hours notice, if they are to take part in the team.
It is envisaged the rapid response team will complement the emergency response arrangements in Irish-based humanitarian agencies. There have also been discussions with Irish NGOs and UN agencies and the Government has sought further proposals on enhancing the State's rapid response capacity.