Mr. Seán Hogan:

We take very seriously the ability of emergency services, particularly the fire services, to respond. Through the political system, we receive comments and feedback in certain circumstances but I certainly would not be aware of a view such as that expressed by the Deputy on the fire fleet in Dublin or in any other county or local authority fire service. In the run-up to the difficult financial times, we had achieved a very significant improvement. Improvement comes in waves over the years. If one examines the trend over the decades, one realises our fire fleet was in very good order before the difficult times. Thereafter, we did not have the money to buy on the scale at which we had been buying but we are back purchasing.

Regarding the Deloitte report and the purchase of second-hand equipment, everything we grant aid is subject to Government procurement procedures. This is now done through the Office of Government Procurement framework. There are those who will say we are being too bureaucratic in setting too many standards and creating too many hoops for people to jump through in terms of the tendering process on which we insist when we are grant aiding appliances. We grant aid the new appliances. I am not aware of the Dublin fire service buying second-hand appliances on a large scale. Occasionally equipment is bought second hand. I refer in particular to aerial appliances that become available. People are aware of what is available on the market. If there is an economically sound proposition, purchases are made.

On fleet management, the fleets are not being used as much as they would have been traditionally. There are probably fewer than 30,000 vehicle responses per year now whereas there probably would have been 50,000 ten years ago. Dublin Fire Brigade has its own in-house vehicle maintenance system. It will know and work with its vehicles and maintain them. I am sure that work is to the highest standard. Vehicles will break down, particularly where they are in 24-hour use across shifts and where different drivers are driving them. In the retained service, there is a tendency to have drivers who look after the vehicles. On the 24-hour shift, it is a different system and more issues arise but I can inform the Deputy, without having the detail for him, that Dublin Fire Brigade has its own internal system. Many other counties have an external arrangement now; it is all contracted out. Dublin Fire Brigade is managing it internally.