John Brady (Wicklow, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister for the response. A recent reply from the Department to a parliamentary question stated that 482 retained firefighters are in receipt of jobseeker's payment. That shows the difficulty retained firefighters have in holding down full-time employment due to the nature of their work. The legislation introduced to reflect that in 2013 states that the legislation and associated regulations allow retained firefighters a reasonable and fair level of access to jobseeker's schemes, given the unique circumstances of the service they provide to communities.

I have met retained firefighters in rural areas who do not have access to employment or flexible employers, given the nature of their retained services. Retained firefighters in many areas are on call 24-7. They are engaging with case officers in INTREO offices and are being put under severe pressure to find employment, no matter where it is, or be moved to JobPath which, they are told, will get them jobs.

Has provision been made for the special circumstance of retained firefighters by INTREO offices and JobPath? Are their unique employment circumstances taken into account?

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