Written answers

Wednesday, 16 November 2016

Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government

Fire Service

Photo of Tommy BroughanTommy Broughan (Dublin Bay North, Independent)
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138. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government the number of requests his Department has received from Dublin City Council to date in 2016 regarding funding for the purchase of additional emergency appliances and-or equipment for Dublin Fire Brigade; the number of those requests that have been approved, pending or refused; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35253/16]

Photo of Simon CoveneySimon Coveney (Cork South Central, 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, the provision of fire station premises, is a statutory function of individual fire authorities under 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.

My Department, earlier this year, announced a five-year Fire Services Capital Programme with an allocation of €40 million, based on the current annual €8 million allocation, to be used for the purchase of fire appliances and specialist equipment, building or upgrading of prioritised Fire Stations, an upgrade of the Communications and Mobilisation system and improvements to Training Centres. Under this programme, sixteen new-build fire stations are to be provided and ten fire stations are to be upgraded. The projects in the capital programme will be reassessed on an annual basis and priority may be adjusted to bring forward projects offering best value-for-money and to take account of the state of readiness of the projects.

Dublin City Council provides fire services on behalf of the four Dublin local authorities. Continued investment in the fire appliance fleet is one of the key national priorities for the Fire Services Capital Programme. My Department announced a new national joint - procurement programme in 2015 to purchase 20 fire appliances, under which Dublin Fire Brigade received an allocation for three new appliances. Dublin City Council have been recouped €36,839 in respect of the Risk Based Approach to Emergency Cover project, and €4,059 for the Community Smoke Alarm Scheme this year. No other requests for funding have been received from Dublin City Council under the Fire Services Capital Programme to date.

All requests for funding from my Department’s Fire Services Capital Programme will be considered within the constraints of available resources and will have regard to local authorities’ priorities, the value for money offered by proposals and the totality of requests from fire authorities.

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