Patricia Ryan (Kildare South, Sinn Fein)
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95. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government to provide an update on actions that are to be taken to address the recruitment and retention crisis in the retained fire service; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23639/23]

Seán Canney (Galway East, Independent)
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142. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government if he intends to engage with the National Retained Firefighters Service to secure an agreement on pay and conditions in the near future; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23346/23]

Malcolm Noonan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Green Party)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 95 and 142 together.

My Department supports fire authorities by establishing policy, setting national standards for fire safety and fire service provision, providing a central training programme, issuing guidance on operational and other related matters and providing capital funding for priority infrastructural projects and the procurement of essential frontline fire appliances, ancillary vehicles and equipment.

Fire services are provided in Ireland by local authorities in accordance with the provisions of the Fire Services Acts, 1981 and 2003. Under this legislation, 31 local authorities provide fire prevention and fire protection services for communities through 27 service delivery structures. Local authority fire services are delivered by approximately 3,300 local authority staff engaged at 217 fire stations nationwide, with 16 of these stations staffed by full-time firefighters, a further 4 are mixed full-time and retained, and 197 are staffed by retained firefighters.

My Department is supporting the Local Government Management Agency (LGMA) who are leading discussions with staff representatives on the implementation of recommendations contained within the review report of Retained fire services published in December 2022. I receive comprehensive reports of those engagements and I am fully aware of the implications of those discussions.

I am acutely aware of the significant challenges associated with recruitment and retention of retained fire service personnel. In the course of my duties, I regularly visit fire stations and take the time to meet with firefighters, senior management, and local authority figures and listen to their perspectives. In May 2021, I directed the Management Board of the NDFEM to review the delivery and sustainability of the local authority retained fire services, with a particular emphasis on recruitment and retention.

In December 2022, I approved that review report for publication, which builds on the progress made implementing the “Keeping Communities Safe” policy in setting the future strategic direction of the Retained Fire Services.

What is clear from the findings of the Retained review report is that the work-life balance of retained firefighters needs to be addressed to ensure the sustainability of retained fire services as an attractive employment option.

The report provides thirteen recommendations that aim to enhance the model of service delivery by maintaining the strengths of retained fire services, while addressing issues that act as a barrier to recruitment and retention.

Following the reports publication, I am aware that stakeholders began discussions promptly via the Fire Services National Oversight Implementation Group, chaired by Mr David Begg, on the implementation of the recommendations, meeting earlier this year on two occasions 27 January and 22 February. The group was established in 2015 was at the request of SIPTU - the union mandated to represent retained firefighters - following an agreement between the Department, local authorities, and fire service representatives to act as a consultative forum on service development and implementation. At the meeting of 27 January, the staff representative group accepted the finding of the reports as a fair reflection of the current state of retained fire services and agreed the need to pursue the implementation of the recommendations.

At a meeting of 22 February, staff representatives proposed moving discussions on priority IR issues to a third party facilitation forum and nominated, Mr Ultan Courtney, who was subsequently appointed by the LGMA, to chair those discussions.

The key deliverable, agreed by both sides, was a revised composite agreement to standardise future employment terms and conditions across all local authorities reflecting the Retained review recommendations. Two plenary sessions of those facilitation discussions have taken place and I understand substantial progress was made on the provision of a revised model that would provide for both an effective service delivery, and a suitable work / life balance for retained firefighters, including structured time off.

While a positive conclusion to the process to the satisfaction of all parties has not yet been reached, I would encourage all parties to continue to engage constructively on resolving the outstanding IR issues within the established forum. Changes are necessary to the existing model of retained fire service provision to ensure the future sustainability of the services. Those changes are only possible when all parties work together to achieve an equitable resolution of the issues identified.

The report makes clear that there is no single ‘silver bullet’ solution to resolve the issues of recruitment and retention facing retained fire services. Those issues can only be addressed through the aggregated full implementation of each of the report’s recommendations.