Louise O'Reilly (Dublin Fingal, Sinn Fein)
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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.

Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)
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Hallowe'en is coming and we know every single Halloween there is huge pressure on the fire service, as there has been in Dublin during Covid because they also provide emergency ambulance cover for the city and beyond. People need to remember that we are not just talking about fire appliances. A huge vote of thanks needs to go out to all of those who work in the fire service.

Disaster is staring us in the face. The fire brigade service is not capable, due to a lack of resources, in particular of fire engines and personnel, to deal with a major incident in this city if it happens, given that it also has to deal with many other issues. We heard harrowing tales of people who have to wait for ambulances or fire brigades after car crashes where there is no need for them to have to do so. We also heard of the fire brigade service in this city scrambling around England looking for second-hand obsolete appliances to replace the stock that is collapsing in this city.

As my colleague said, there are times when there are no appliances available. On Monday in my area, Dolphin's Barn, three of the appliances in the station were totally off the road. On another day 30% of the fleet of the whole city was out of action and was not capable of being called out. There is lack of aerial appliances. We know that the fire service is crying out for the HSE to pay Dublin City Council the money it is due so that it can invest properly in the service. Beyond that, a lot more investment needs to happen.

Hildegarde Naughton (Galway West, Fine Gael)
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I am taking this question on behalf of the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage. I thank the Deputies for raising this important issue. I would like to clarify that the provision of a fire service in its functional area, including the establishment and maintenance of a fire brigade, the assessment of fire cover needs and the provision of fire station premises, is a statutory function of individual fire authorities under the Fire Services Acts 1981 and 2003. The Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage supports fire authorities by establishing policy, setting national standards for fire safety and fire service provision, providing essential training programmes, issuing guidance on operational and other related matters and providing capital funding for priority infrastructural projects.

Dublin City Council provides fire prevention and fire and rescue services for the four Dublin local authorities. It also provides an emergency ambulance service by arrangement with the National Ambulance Service of the HSE. Local authority fire services in Ireland are provided by 3,200 professional, competent and highly committed personnel at all levels in 217 full-time and retained fire stations. It is important to note that the number of fire service front-line staff has been maintained at a constant high level throughout the economic challenges of recent years, even when staffing numbers, by necessity, were reduced in other areas of the local authority sector.

Under the Local Government Act 2001, arrangements on staffing in each local authority are the responsibility of the chief executive. With regard to staffing in Dublin Fire Brigade, I understand that Dublin City Council, as the employer, has engaged in an extended process with firefighter representative bodies Fórsa and SIPTU at the Workplace Relations Commission. Unfortunately, the parties were not able to reach agreement on all the proposals, some of which are intended to alleviate pressures caused by current staffing arrangements. I encourage the parties to continue to use the State's established statutory industrial relations machinery to resolve the issues concerned.

Also in respect of staffing in Dublin Fire Brigade, I am aware that the most recent firefighter recruitment campaign began in September 2019. All recent fire brigade recruit training has taken place in the shadow of the pandemic, which has placed considerable additional challenges on the process. The first class of recruits from that campaign began training in April 2020 and have taken up positions across the brigade. A second recruit class began training in June 2021 and will finish this December to take up positions across the brigade in January 2022. A third recruit class will begin training early in February 2022, with a start date for a fourth and final class of the remaining panelled recruits currently under review.

The Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage funds new fire appliances and specialist equipment under national procurement programmes. Dublin City Council was allocated four new class-B fire appliances in the latest appliance procurement programme, at an approximate cost of €1.9 million. Dublin City Council was also grant-aided to procure three class-B fire appliances in both the 2015 and 2017 programmes. Continued investment in the fire appliance fleet is one of the key national priorities for the fire services capital programme.

Dublin City Council received approval in 2018 to purchase six four-wheel drive vehicles for €170,000. In July 2019, the council received approval to purchase a new turntable ladder or aerial appliance, at a cost of €800,000 plus VAT. In September 2021, Dublin City Council requested approval for the purchase of a new turntable ladder, at a cost of €850,000. This application is under consideration by the Department and is likely to be approved in the immediate future.

The provision of enhanced communications and mobilisation systems for fire services across the country, including in Dublin, has also been proceeding over the past several years. The Ctrí project is delivering the next generation of communications and mobilisation systems for local authority fire services. All fire station equipment and radio communication terminals in fire service vehicles across the country, including Dublin, have been replaced successfully with digital equipment. While the current three regional systems have operated successfully since the early 1990s, the replacement of first-generation mobilisation technology is enabling us to develop enhanced resilience for 999 calls.

Louise O'Reilly (Dublin Fingal, Sinn Fein)
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As the Ceann Comhairle said to me once here, a Deputy is entitled to a reply but not necessarily an answer. We asked what would be done to future-proof and to ensure Dublin Fire Brigade has not only the physical resources it needs but also the manpower and womanpower it will need to do its work. The Minister of State gave a list referring to recruits and the recruitment campaign. I have told her very clearly that there is a staffing crisis. Whatever is happening in terms of recruitment is not keeping pace with retirements from Dublin Fire Brigade. Therefore, a better effort needs to be made. I ask the Minister of State to convey to the Minister, Deputy Darragh O'Brien, the need to double up on the training of recruits just to keep pace with retirements. That is even before we get to account for the population expansion. The Minister of State mentioned one of the aerial appliances that has been purchased. What use is that if the service does not have the personnel to operate it? On 28 September, that aerial appliance was out of commission. It was not being used because the staff were not available. Staff are needed. Equipment is also needed but it is useless without the men and women to use it.

Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)
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I thank the Minister of State for the answer. It does not address the underlying chaos and the crisis within the fire service. We may end up having to rely on the Defence Forces, as we have on other occasions, if there is a major incident or incidents. Sometimes they do not happen alone. There could be a major car crash in one of the motorways. The Minister of State should not forget that most of the Dublin fire stations also service Kildare, Wicklow and the neighbouring counties if they cannot address a problem.

As my colleague noted, the recruitment is part of the problem but there is nothing to prevent the running of two classes simultaneously, as has happened in the past. I urge the Minister of State to consider starting the predicted February programme immediately. At present, the recruitment is replacing only those who are retiring, rather than plugging the gaps and ensuring the service grows as the city grows, not just in terms of population but also in terms of height.

There are several areas where there is absolutely no fire cover of the kind required. Where is the Adamstown fire station, for instance? Where is the appropriate cover for the likes of Blanchardstown and Tallaght?

Hildegarde Naughton (Galway West, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Deputies again for raising the issue. Bearing in mind the concerns the Deputies have raised, there are several important points I would like to finish on to put the circumstances into context. The prioritisation of work and effective management of all resources is, in the first instance, a matter for management in each of the fire services, based on their assessment of local risk, needs and resources.

On the staffing requirements in each local authority, under the Local Government Act 2001 it is the responsibility of the chief executive to employ required staff and to make such staffing, funding, recruitment and organisational arrangements as may be deemed necessary for the purposes of carrying out the functions of his or her local authority. I encourage both staff and management sides to use the industrial relations machinery of the State to resolve the issues under discussion, which affect the optimal use of financial and staffing resources in protecting and keeping communities safe in Dublin.

Since the onset of Covid-19, the Department has monitored regular reports from fire services regarding the impact the pandemic has had on staffing levels. During this period, necessary restrictions have limited opportunities for some fire services to undertake recruitment and training activities. However, recruitment, training and deployment of new recruits have continued in Dublin Fire Brigade. There is little doubt that fire services in Ireland, including Dublin, are provided with the best of equipment to undertake the difficult roles they have sometimes been called on to perform. All requests for funding from the fire services capital programme of the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage are considered promptly and have regard to local authorities' own priorities, consistent with national policy, the value for money offered by proposals, and the totality of requests. I will, however, relay the Deputies' concerns to the Minister.

Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)
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Níl an Teachta MacSharry anseo le haghaidh an tríú ábhar. Mar sin, glaoim ar an Teachta Connolly.