Sharon Keogan (Independent) | Oireachtas source

To be quite honest, that is a copy and paste from what we heard the other day. The only line that is new in the reply is, "To this end, senior fire service management is meeting with local SIPTU representative committees in each local authority to establish agreed local contingency measures." They are the measures I asked about. I want to know what those measures are. Communities and businesses want to know what those contingency measures are.

I refer to what happened in Blanchardstown at the weekend. What will happen if our fire service is not on the ground? The Minister of State does not know what is going to happen. What happens if there is no water? It appears one arm of the State does not know what the other arm in local government is doing. We will have no people working in our water services in local authorities next week. Firefighters will be out at the same time. It does not make sense that there is no joined-up thinking on this particular issue. It is a catastrophe waiting to happen. I am disappointed by the answer I have received. Nobody has addressed the fact that water services in local authorities are going on strike next week.

Schools are holding leaving certificate examinations next week and hospitals will also be affected. All of the everyday things we need in our communities will be affected. On the Uisce Éireann website yesterday, reference is made to these issues running into next week. They will not go away. In all fairness, the reply is a cop-out. We need to look after our firefighters. The Uisce Éireann issue needs to be addressed within our local authorities and the staff need to be looked after.