Paul Lawless (Mayo, Aontú)
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185. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government to confirm the mandatory retirement age currently applied to members of the retained fire service, including the requirement for personnel to retire before reaching sixty-two years of age. [17810/26]

Paul Lawless (Mayo, Aontú)
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186. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government to detail the medical fitness requirements for retained firefighters, including bi-annual medical examinations after forty years of age and annual medical examinations after fifty years of age; and to confirm that these requirements remain in place. [17814/26]

Paul Lawless (Mayo, Aontú)
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187. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government if he will engage with unions (details supplied) which are actively campaigning for reforms to the retirement age and conditions for retained firefighters; and outline any planned or ongoing consultations. [17817/26]

James Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 185, 186 and 187 together.

The mandatory retirement age for all uniformed services, including An Garda Síochána, the National Ambulance Service and the defence forces is a whole of government decision. The Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation, Jack Chambers, TD, has powers under Part 11 of the Courts, Civil Law, Criminal Law and Superannuation (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2024, to enable line ministers, with his prior consent, to make regulations regarding the retirement age.

A retained firefighter shall retire upon attaining the age of 55 years. If a firefighter wishes to serve beyond that age, the fire authority who employs them must satisfy themselves as to their medical fitness, having undergone the appropriate medical assessment. The firefighter may continue to serve, undergoing annual fitness tests, but must retire on or before their 62nd birthday.

Under Section 159 of the Local Government Act 2001, each Chief Executive is responsible for the staffing and organisational arrangements necessary for carrying out the functions of the local authority for which they are responsible. 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 Services Act, 1981 & 2003. My Department supports fire authorities through setting general policy, providing a central training programme, issuing guidance on operational and other related matters and providing capital funding support for equipment and priority infrastructural projects.

Engagement with staff side associations, including on medical assessments, is a matter for each local authority as the employer(s) and I understand the Local Government Management Agency will act on their behalf in industrial relations matters in the normal way.