Tony Killeen (Clare, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Minister Gormley and I met with some of the crew and management of Bray Fire Service in the immediate aftermath of the Bray fire tragedy. It was suggested that a further meeting take place and the meeting was arranged for 15 November 2007 in Bray fire station.

The purpose of the meeting was to express the Government's solidarity with the members and management of Bray fire service, to acknowledge their sense of loss and thank them for their continued service to the people of Bray and its environs, and to hear their views in the aftermath of the tragedy.

The Minister and I assured them that lessons learned from the tragedy would be utilised in the Department's role of supporting the fire services and in the context of the review of the fire services change programme.

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, the provision of a premises and the making of such other provisions as it considers necessary or desirable, is a statutory function of individual fire authorities under section 10 of the Fire Services Act 1981.

The Department's role is one of supporting and assisting local authorities in delivering fire services through the setting of general policy and the provision of capital funding.