Joe Behan (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)

I join with Members on all sides of this House in expressing my sincere and heartfelt sympathy to the families of Brian Murray and Mark O'Shaughnessy on their untimely and tragic deaths. It is clear that Brian and Mark's selfless courage in giving up their lives in order to save others has struck a chord deep in the hearts of all people, whether they knew the men or not, and the attendance of so many people at their funerals spoke volumes for the respect, gratitude and esteem in which these two brave fire-fighters were held.

I also agree wholeheartedly with the tributes paid in this House to the members of the emergency services in all their forms. The well-being of society and our national community depends on the dedication and commitment of these brave and good women and men and we can never express our gratitude too often for their service to us all. I acknowledge the presence in the Gallery of members of Brian and Mark's families, their friends and colleagues in the fire services, including Councillor John Byrne, who is a member of Wicklow County Council, and Margaret Cahill, whose sister and nephew died in another fire in Bray and who has led a long campaign to establish a full-time fire service in Bray.

It is, as has been said previously, extremely appropriate that the members of Dáil Éireann debate the terrible tragedy which occurred in Bray on Wednesday, 26 September. We, as representatives of the people, should reflect the people's views on this matter and should also formulate the appropriate response to this terrible event. In that regard, I welcome this opportunity to express my views and acknowledge the spirit of the contributions made by Members on all sides of the House, particularly my constituency colleagues from the other parties.

It is clear, having read the Opposition motion and the Government amendment, that what unites us is far greater than that which divides us. We agree in our sincere expressions of sympathy to the bereaved families and colleagues of Brian Murray and Mark O'Shaughnessy. We agree in our acknowledgement of the courageous and dedicated service of all members of the fire service, both full-time and retained, which is given to the public across the country. We also agree that a number of independent investigations are necessary in order to inform us as to the likely cause or causes of the tragic fire on 26 September. I, for one, totally respect the independence of the Health and Safety Authority and the Garda Síochána in this matter.

There may not be full and total agreement on the extent to which the Farrell Grant Sparks report recommendations have been implemented, but I note the comments made by Deputy Liz McManus on local radio this morning when she acknowledged that at least some work has been done in implementing the recommendations. The Minister of State, Deputy Roche, has outlined those here. The Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, Deputy Gormley, in his speech to the House the previous evening committed himself to reviewing progress achieved to date in this matter and, furthermore, to consider all aspects in reaching his conclusions.

I put on the record of this House my unflinching support for the provision of a full-time fire service for the Bray area. I have attended the aftermath of fires in Bray, too numerous to mention, in the past 20 years and, on these occasions, I have sympathised with families who have lost loved ones in terrible circumstances. I have committed myself to those families and I do so again tonight. I will not rest until a full-time fire service is established in Bray and its environs. The case for such a service is compelling and conclusive and the vast majority, if not all the people of Bray, agree with me on this issue.

In this regard, as Deputy McManus generously acknowledged last night, when I was Cathaoirleach of Wicklow County Council, I requested that a feasibility study be drawn up by the council to establish the framework under which a full-time fire service could be provided. This study is now complete. It has gone on public display and many local people and campaigners have contributed their views. The matter is now in the hands of Wicklow County Council and I urge councillors and council officials alike to work together to achieve that which we all wish to see achieved.

An issue such as this should remain above party politics. I agree that Dáil Éireann should, if possible, unite on the essential principles we wish to establish in response to the terrible tragedy in Bray and, accordingly, I appeal to all Members of this House to unite and support the Government amendment. This is because it acknowledges the contribution made by Mark O'Shaughnessy and Brian Murray, indicates a willingness to implement necessary changes to the fire service on foot of the investigations into the fire and correctly acknowledges that the only organisation which can establish a full-time fire service in Bray is Wicklow County Council. This is the correct response to the dreadful event of 26 September and I urge all Members to support it. Go raibh maith agat.

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