Aisling Dolan (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I would like to raise two issues this morning; first, the retained fire service and the challenges for retained firefighters. I know that colleagues have raised this during the week. We have had people presenting on the issue as well, and people who have travelled to stand outside the gates of Leinster House. In my local area, retained firefighters provide an essential service, in particular in the likes of Ballinasloe, where there is a retained team on the ground. They are the ones who are called out. They are very much in need of a proper new fire station, but leaving aside infrastructure, they are unable to just get structured time off. In rural and regional areas in particular there are a lot of people from farming backgrounds who see this as a supplementary income. There are also a lot of people who work in jobs during the day from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. We are very fortunate in that we even have women in the station in Ballinasloe. It is a challenge to get women involved and to be able to give time. We are so fortunate to have it, and yet it is such a challenge at the moment to provide enough staff so that people can take structured time off.

For a young family, if somebody goes away then someone has to mind children and people can be called at the last minute. It is a family decision for the mum or dad to take time to do this. I feel strongly that this is something we need to work on. I know the Government is engaging with this. The service is very important. In rural areas they are the people who answer the calls 24-7. It is one of the services we rely on in our community; whether it is a call-out for a fire, an accident or, God forbid, the loss of a loved one. They are the first people on the scene. They are the first ones who tackle someone who has been in an accident and bring them to hospital. They work with the other emergency front-line services. I am in awe of what they give and what they do on a daily basis. I know this applies as well to all the towns around Ireland where they provide this service.

The second issue I wish to raise is Active* Consent. The Minister, Deputy Harris, is involved in launching this programme in the Department of Justice this morning. It is being rolled out to secondary schools. It is another University of Galway initiative that is now on a national footing. Funding is coming from the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science and also from the Department of Justice through the Dormant Accounts Fund. It is a programme that shows how Departments are working together to make a difference. Active* Consent is crucial in order that young people are able to make sure that at all times they are happy in the situation they are in.