Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I regularly speak to firefighters. I know many of them, right across the country. I have visited many fire stations in many counties. There are two retained fire services in my area of Fingal, in Skerries and in Balbriggan. I know there is a way through this situation. We need it to de-escalate it. What I have said repeatedly is that there has been agreement concerning most of the work done through the retained fire services report. Pay remains the last issue. I cannot ignore the fact that there is a national pay agreement and a process in place in the context of Building Momentum. This process is there. Those talks start next month, in July, on an informal basis. I have committed to our fire service personnel that I will advocate on their behalf very strongly for significant increases in their pay and improvements in their conditions. We have agreed on many of these aspects. I fully understand the position they are in and the argument that they are making. I am committed to resolving this issue and to doing everything we can from a Government perspective to do so.

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