Louise O'Reilly (Dublin Fingal, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I do not mean this disrespectfully in any way to the people who sit opposite, but it is regrettable that the Minister, Deputy Darragh O'Brien, is not here to take this Topical Issue. Anyone from the Dublin Fire Brigade who is watching will not be surprised. They have sought a meeting with the Minister. I would be very grateful if the Minister of State could pass on that request directly to the Minister and underline for him that it is important that he meets the men and women, and their representatives, from the Dublin Fire Brigade. The work they do in Dublin city and county is absolutely vital.

We only have to listen to radio shows over the past couple of days to understand that people are now being left waiting. That is not acceptable. It is not the service that the men and women in the Dublin Fire Brigade want to be able to deliver. They need staff to be able to deliver the services they are trained to provide but due to staff depletion, on 28 September six appliances were off the road. That is not acceptable. The population in Dublin city is growing. Where I live in north County Dublin, the population is growing at a rate of knots. The services are not keeping pace with this growth.

The issue we have is that staffing in the Dublin Fire Brigade has been depleted to a level that is so concerning that representatives from the Dublin Fire Brigade, Fórsa and SIPTU are now reaching out to political representatives to seek our help, not just to highlight the issue, because the issue was obvious to everyone who lives in Dublin, but to ask very clearly if the Minister can lay out how he is going to ensure the full complement of Dublin Fire Brigade staff and how they will be recruited and trained.

Can the Minister of State outline what additional funding will be set aside to recruit additional firefighters? Can she give any comfort to people in Dublin who are listening to this and want to know that they have a fire service that is resourced and fit for purpose, as well as future proofed? We know we have good staff who are there to deliver services. We just need more of them.

See this speech in context