Michael Kitt (Fianna Fail)

I welcome the Minister of State to the House. In relation to the amendment proposed by Senator Bannon, I understand there was coverage of this issue in the media recently. There was also a debate held in Westport among fire officers on the question of fire fatalities and the level of expenditure. The Minister of State when replying might comment on that. Senator Brady gave us the example of the Stardust fire in 1981. There might be a case for putting emphasis on a chief fire officer or an inspection officer, but the question of expenditure is certainly important. In my county, Galway, the chief fire officer and the county manager always talk about the need for extra funding.