Michelle Mulherin (Mayo, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government if he will prioritise the approval to Mayo County Council to tender for a new Fire Station in Crossmolina for which a site has been acquired on the basis of the revised design documents which were submitted to his Department in 2009; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16735/13]

Phil Hogan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

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 the provisions of the Fire Services Act 1981 and 2003.

My Department supports fire authorities through the setting of general policy and guidance and the provision of capital funding, including the recoupment (within the overall funding available) of costs incurred by fire authorities in relation to approved construction projects and the purchase of fire appliances and equipment. The current national priority for capital funding is supporting the fire appliance fleet. In this regard, Mayo Fire Service was allocated a new appliance. ordered under a joint-procurement initiative, and which is due to be delivered during 2013.

Approval-in-principle was announced under the 2007 Capital Programme for a new fire station at Crossmolina, at an estimated cost of €1 million, and Mayo County Council ha s submitted an updated cost plan and contract documents for approval to proceed to the next stage of development.

Given the constraints on public finances it has been necessary, in keeping with other reductions, to reduce the fire service capital allocations over recent years, including 2013. Accordingly, in light of these constraints, m y Department is not in a position at present to fund the significant investment required to progress new projects, including Crossmolina, to the next stage.

The provision of funding to bring proposed projects to construction stage will be considered under future capital programmes within the constraints of available resources, and will have regard to fire authorities’ priorities, the spread of existing facilities and the totality of requests from fire authorities for available funding.