Extract from the minutes of a meeting of the Cabinet
'Emergency Preparation: Establishment of Working Party'
(G.C. 7/129) (Item 12) (S11445C)

Following consideration of a memorandum dated the 19th June, 1956,¹ submitted by the Taoiseach and a memorandum dated the 4th July, 1956,² submitted by the Minister for Finance concerning preparation for a possible emergency, it was decided

1. that, as a first step, the Minister for Defence should establish a Working Party with terms of reference on the following lines:-

   ‘Proceeding on the assumptions that attacks with nuclear weapons would take place on

   1. British cities, particularly those on the west coast;
   2. Belfast or
   3. Dublin itself,

   to furnish a report to the Minister for Defence as to the problems (excluding those of a purely military character) that would arise from such events, to indicate in broad outline the measures that might be taken (and their order of priority) to mitigate the disastrous consequences, and to suggest how far existing organizations could be adapted to implement such measures or what new organizations would need to be brought into being’;

2. that the Working Party should be constituted as follows:-
   1. the membership to comprise representatives of the Departments of Defence, Health, Justice, Local Government, Agriculture and Industry and Commerce,
   2. he representatives to be of the rank of Assistant Secretary or Principal Officer and to be specially selected either on account of their experience of kindred work or of their qualities of energy and imagination,
   3. the representatives to be released, so far as may be necessary, from other duties until their task is completed and
   4. an officer of the Defence Forces and an officer of the Garda Síochána to be assigned to give assistance, where appropriate; and
3. 1. that, in so far as the Working Party may require to consult, and obtain information from, Departments of State, such requirements should be met and
   2. that, in so far as it may need co-operation from the local authorities and from the transport undertakings, the appropriate Departments should make arrangements to that end.