Niamh Smyth (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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177. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government the status of plans and the timeline for the delivery of a fire station (details supplied); if there are other similar projects proposed in counties Cavan and Monaghan; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20938/17]

Damien English (Meath West, 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 the Fire Service 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.

Cavan County Council submitted a revised cost plan for a new station at Virginia to my Department in August 2016, and permission to proceed to tender was granted in November 2016.  With this permission in place, Cavan County Council are progressing this project.  A fire station works project in Ballyjamesduff is also included in the Capital Programme under the list of priority projects to be progressed for 2018.

Monaghan County Council prioritised a new fire station for Castleblayney and provision has been made in the programme for its construction, with an indicative date of 2019. The projects in the capital programme 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 the projects.