Mattie McGrath (Tipperary, Independent) | Oireachtas source

That answer is not satisfactory at all. The elephant in the room here seems to be the LGMA. It says it has not got the money from the Government. Cut out all the other engagements, movements and shapes that are going around. All the stations in Tipperary have staff shortages. We are three officers short in Clonmel and two short in Nenagh. Tipperary town cannot put out its second crew. There are many other small towns like that. Deputy Michael Collins is giving me cases from Skibbereen and places like that where people have to wait an hour to be attended from some other county. It is the same for all of us in rural Ireland and urban Ireland where people wait. People are not called out unless they are needed and they will come in all weathers and at all times. Even during the industrial action there is cover. I acknowledge that. They need to get fair play here. They need not to have the three-way system here where the LGMA is blaming the Government and it is blaming the LGMA and the firefighters. We need to sort this issue. It should not be insurmountable to solve it after 22 years of neglect.

The Taoiseach talks about changes and whatever went on. That is no good to them. He has the figures. Like myself and my colleagues in the Rural Independent Group, I am sure the Taoiseach has met, and has listened to, them. They need to be helped and sorted out. They do not ask often. We ask a good deal of them. Now we are asking that the Taoiseach sits up and listens, engages with them and cuts out the intermediaries that have no money to solve the deal. Some €50 million would solve the problem.

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