Pauline Tully (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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309. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the number of requests his Department has received from Monaghan County Council seeking funding to purchase additional fire appliances and or specialist emergency fire equipment for Monaghan fire services in 2023 and to date in 2024; and of the number of requests received; the number that were approved or pending per year, in tabular form. [28665/24]

Pauline Tully (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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310. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the number of requests his Department has received from Cavan County Council seeking funding to purchase additional fire appliances and or specialist emergency fire equipment for Cavan fire services in 2023 and to date in 2024; the number of requests received; and the number that were approved or pending per year, in tabular form. [28666/24]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 309 and 310 together.

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 Acts, 1981 and 2003. 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 December 2020, I announced a new Fire Services Capital Programme for the period 2021-2025, with a funding allocation of €61m to be used for the purchase of specialist fire appliances, support vehicles, specialist equipment, building or upgrading of prioritised fire service infrastructural projects.

The prioritisation and effective management of proposals is, in the first instance, a matter for each of the fire authorities based on their assessment of local needs and requirements. My Department works closely with fire services around the country to progress priority projects.

Any proposal received by my Department requesting further support from the Fire Services Capital Programme is considered with regard to national priorities and the totality of requests from fire authorities countrywide.

In October 2023, I announced the establishment of a new Joint Procurement Framework Agreement with the Office of Government Procurement (OGP) for the supply of “Class B” Fire appliances. My Department provides funding in the order of €20.8 million for the provision of 40 new ‘Class B’ fire appliances, to be allocated across the country’s 27 local authority fire and rescue services. In this current framework Monaghan County Council has been allocated one new Class B fire appliance and Cavan have been allocated two new Class B appliances.

From 1 January 2023 to date in 2024 Cavan County Council has made one further application for funding from the Fire Services Capital Programme and Monaghan County Council has made six. Each of these applications has been approved and are detailed in the table below, with no outstanding applications currently under consideration.

My Department will continue to work closely with both Cavan and Monaghan County Councils to progress the funding of priority projects as identified by them, from the Fire Services Capital Programme.