Written answers

Tuesday, 25 February 2014

Department of Environment, Community and Local Government

Fire Stations Provision

Photo of Jonathan O'BrienJonathan O'Brien (Cork North Central, Sinn Fein)
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467. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government the position regarding the proposed fire station in Kanturk, County Cork, which was announced in 2007; when work will commence on this fire station; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9246/14]

Photo of Phil HoganPhil Hogan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael)
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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 and the provision of fire station premises, is a statutory function of individual fire authorities under section 10 of the Fire Services Act 1981. My Department supports the fire authorities through setting general policy, providing a central training programme, issuing guidance on operational and other related matters and providing capital funding for priority infrastructural projects.

Under the 2007 fire service capital programme, a proposal by Cork County Council to build a new two bay fire station in Kanturk was approved in principle. The Council was subsequently approved to prepare detailed design and tender documents in relation to the project. My Department wrote to the Council in 2008 expressing concern at the site acquisition costs and their implication for the total project cost, requesting that other potential sites in Kanturk be considered.

Continued investment in the fire appliance fleet has been identified as one of the key national priorities for the fire services capital programme. In that context and in order to deliver cost efficiencies, a programme involving fire authorities aggregating demand and jointly procuring 17 fire appliances is now nearing completion, under which Cork County Fire and Rescue Service received an allocation for two new appliances.

Given the constraints on public finances, further support from my Department’s fire services capital programme to replace Kanturk fire station will have regard to national priorities, the totality of requests from fire authorities countrywide, Cork County Council’s priorities, the extent of previous investment in Cork fire service, the value for money offered by proposals and the status of existing facilities having regard to risk categorisation.

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