Michael Fitzmaurice (Roscommon-Galway, Independent) | Oireachtas source

First, I wish the Minister luck. I have not had the opportunity to do so before. As has been outlined, Castlerea is the second largest town in County Roscommon. An industrial relations dispute has been ongoing in recent years. There have been public meetings. I and many others have talked to people on all sides of the dispute to see whether it could be resolved. Unfortunately, it has not been.

There is a report out now. Castlerea, in which the prison and factories are located, and surrounding areas such as Ballymoe and Williamstown have been served by the fire service in Castlerea. Unfortunately, a decision was taken based on this report.

It also needs to be mentioned that some politicians unfortunately got abuse over this. I saw stuff about one councillor in the town on social media. That will not solve anything. We need to solve this together. Castlerea needs a fire station. We need to move and figure out how to make sure it has one. If we can present evidence that shows the need we believe exists and will exist down the road, can the Minister help us re-establish the fire service in Castlerea in the coming months?

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