Alan Kelly (Tipperary North, Labour)
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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, 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 Acts 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 priority for capital funding is supporting the fire appliance fleet. In this regard, Mayo Fire Service received a new appliance in 2013 under a joint-procurement initiative. I have recently announced details of another such joint-procurement programme.

Under the 2007 Capital Programme, approval in principle was given for a new fire station at Crossmolina, at an estimated cost of €1 million. On foot of this, Mayo County Council submitted an updated cost plan and contract documents for approval to proceed to the next stage of development. However, in light of financial constraints it was not possible to proceed with this project.

As part of the announcement of a new capital programme this year, I indicated that it is proposed to engage further with County and City Councils, as appropriate, to review proposed fire station projects. Requirements for new stations, or enhanced facilities at existing stations, will be re-appraised with a view to developing value-for-money projects, while still meeting the necessary functional requirements of a retained fire station. In light of the fact that Crossmolina is Mayo County Council's priority project, my Department will be liaising with the Council regarding the project.

The provision of funding to bring agreed projects to construction stage will be considered within the constraints of existing commitments and available resources under future capital programmes, and will have regard to national priorities, the totality of requests from fire authorities countrywide, the extent of previous investment in Mayo fire service, the value for money offered by proposals and the status of existing facilities in relation to the area's fire risk categorisation.