Jennifer Whitmore (Wicklow, Social Democrats) | Oireachtas source

I have spent a lot of time over the past couple of weeks speaking to firefighters in my constituency of Wicklow. When I talk to them, there are some themes coming through: their love for their job, their love for their community, and the huge impact their pay and conditions are having on them and their families' lives. They are really being asked to do the impossible under the current situation. The Taoiseach says he is committed to seeing this issue resolved, and I hope that is true. Why then has he not dealt with this before now? This has been an issue for the entirety of his position in Government. Why is the Government forcing firefighters to do something that goes against every single bone in their body by forcing them out onto the picket line to fight for very basic pay and conditions the rest of us enjoy?

See this speech in context