Malcolm Byrne (Fianna Fail)
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Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire Stáit. I thank the Minister of State for taking this matter on behalf of the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage.

I very much welcome the specific reference within the budget around continued increased investment on the capital side within the fire services. In County Wexford, we have a new fire station in New Ross and there are extensive plans to develop the fire station at Gorey but my primary concern is obviously around those who will staff those fire stations, the importance of the retained fire service and the valuable work it does in all communities.

The Minister of State will be aware, after industrial action, that in August, following discussions at the Workplace Relations Commission, agreement was reached between SIPTU and those representing the retained firefighters and the Local Government Management Agency, LGMA, around a path forward. The concern has been, around some of the recommendations there, that we have not yet seen them implemented. What is key for the retained firefighters is to be able to give them a timeline for what was recommended there to be agreed.

For instance, there was agreement around an increase in the minimum wages to be paid to the retained firefighters - the base wage. Improvements were to be made to increments. There was to be the filling of promotional posts. There was to be more flexibility. What was key, because one of the big issues for retained firefighters is around retention and recruitment, was that there would be an additional 400 firefighters recruited, increasing the existing cohort from 2,000 to 2,400 and, following on from that, that retained firefighters would form part of the public sector pay talks. The latter is something I strongly support, and I know the Minister, Deputy Darragh O'Brien, also supports this. In addition, we were to see, as part of that recruitment, a minimum of 12 firefighters per station. This is for the safety of the firefighters to make sure that there is a basic service that will be provided.

All of these are welcome, and they were approved in a ballot by the retained firefighters in August. However, it is key that if we are to look at that strategy for retention and recruitment, we see a timeline in place for their implementation. I would certainly like to see guarantees. Before local authorities start on a big recruitment drive for those additional posts, there has to be a need. There has to be certainty for those who will pursue a career as a retained firefighter, which is a rewarding career but a difficult one. We need to see a timeline in place as to when those measures that were recommended would follow suit. The Minister, Deputy Darragh O'Brien, has said that he is deeply committed to implementing what was said, but it will be difficult for local authorities if we do not have a clear timeline around the measures that were agreed being brought forward.

I would hope that the Minister of State, Deputy Madigan, can provide us with an update on this today and stress the urgency back to the Department, for retention and recruitment, that we address these challenges.

Josepha Madigan (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael)
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I am bringing this statement on behalf of the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage.

Our firefighters, as the Senator says, do incredibly valuable work on a daily basis.The retained fire service is an elite front-line service staffed by dedicated people who serve their communities around the clock. There is no doubt that the efforts of retained firefighters and those of their full-time colleagues first and foremost save lives, prevent damage to residential and commercial property, protect critical infrastructure and safeguard the environment. The work of these brave men and women can be physically challenging and psychologically demanding. We need only look to the recent flooding events in Munster and Leinster, where fire crews worked tirelessly to protect homes and evacuate people from properties inundated with floodwaters, for the evidence of their professionalism.

In May 2021, the Minister tasked the national directorate for fire and emergency management, NDFEM, with undertaking a review of recruitment and retention in the retained fire service. The Senator has alluded to that being a big issue. This review report, which was published by the Minister in December 2022, made 13 recommendations aimed at improving recruitment, retention and service delivery within the retained fire service. As the Senator said, the Minister is committed to implementing those recommendations.

The Department moved to commence implementation of the report through an independently chaired process that looked first at the issue of terms and conditions. Unfortunately, that process ultimately did not lead to an agreement. Following a period of industrial action in the retained service, both parties to the dispute, namely, the retained firefighters and the LGMA acting on behalf of the local authority employers, agreed a resolution to the industrial unrest, which the Senator alluded to, through a mediation process at the WRC. That agreement built upon the strong foundation of an earlier Labour Court recommendation and immediately addressed the priority areas of additional structured time off and the rebalancing of remuneration recommended by the retained review report.

The new service model agreed will see all fire stations brought to a minimum of 12 firefighters per station, which I think the Senator mentioned, with six firefighters available to respond on a rotational week on-week off basis. Within this provision, retained firefighters will have the flexibility to swap days with colleagues and may continue to attend calls when rostered off, if they so wish. An estimated 400 personnel will be recruited by local authorities to establish this new model, which will also provide for approximately 50 additional promotional posts. Week on-week off rosters will commence as soon as the crewing levels are sufficient to allow for it and recruitment will be a priority in this regard.

On remuneration, the WRC proposal includes measures to fix elements of pay that were previously activity-based, relating to drill payments, community fire safety and a minimum fixed payment for attendance at incidents. This will result in a starting income in excess of €19,000 for newly recruited retained firefighters and a new, shorter, four-point pay scale will allow retained firefighters to reach the top of their scale much quicker. It is envisaged all local authorities will now transition to fortnightly guaranteed fixed payments to be made up of weekly drill hours paid at the standard first hour of incident attendance rate; 40 hours of community fire safety work by the station, such as home fire safety visits and pre-incident planning; each fire station will be allocated an additional bank of 40 hours per firefighter that can be undertaken at his or her discretion; a minimum attendance payment equivalent to 75 hours at the standard rate and payments for attendance at incidents in excess of 75 hours will be made in accordance with existing arrangements; and an increase to the retainer fee as set out in the Labour Court recommendation. In addition, the premium rate hours for incident call-outs has been broadened to start at 8 p.m. and finish at 8 a.m., Monday to Friday.

Malcolm Byrne (Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Minister of State. I welcome and strongly support the measures proposed, which the Minister of State will certainly find retained firefighters want to see implemented. What is critical is a timeframe for doing so because it is going to be very difficult to recruit 400 firefighters without a very clear timeframe for introducing all the agreed measures. It is about providing certainty for firefighters and those considering a career in this area. It is especially important for those seeking mortgages or loans to allow them to state they have a particular guaranteed income. The Minister of State will appreciate how difficult it can be to seek approval from a financial institution it is based on a person's guaranteed income. It is critical we have a very clear timeframe for when these measures will be implemented.

Josepha Madigan (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael)
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I appreciate the Senator's comments on a timeline. He mentioned earlier that the local authorities should be aware of this. The fact the Minister has made a commitment to implement the recommendations gives certainty and clarity to firefighters in the context of mortgages and loans. I will bring the Senator's comments to the Department and Minister and ensure we try to expedite this matter as much as possible.