Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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266. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government when a project (details supplied) will proceed to the next stage; if this project will be given urgent consideration with a view to progressing it to construction stage in view of the fact much of the necessary preparatory work and procurement of site has been finalised for some time; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3146/17]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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The provision of fire services in local authority areas, including the establishment and maintenance of fire brigades, the assessment of fire cover needs and the provision of premises, is a statutory function of the individual fire authorities under the provisions 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.

In February 2016, my Department announced a five-year Fire Services Capital Programme with an allocation of €40 million, based on an 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.

Monaghan County Council has prioritised a fire station project in Castleblayney and this is included as part of this programme under the list of priority projects to be progressed for 2019. While a new fire station for Ballybay is not provided for in the current five-year Fire Services Capital Programme, projects are 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 projects.