I must now deal with a postponed division relating to the motion regarding retained fire services. On Wednesday, 13 June 2023, on the question, "That the amendment to the motion be agreed to", a division was claimed and in accordance with Standing Order 80(2), that division must be taken now.
Retained Fire Services: Motion (Resumed) [Private Members]
The following motion was moved by Deputy Eoin Ó Broin on Wednesday, 13 June 2023:
That Dáil Éireann:
expresses its admiration and appreciation to the Retained Firefighters who keep our communities safe across the country at huge personal sacrifice to themselves;
recognises:
— that Retained Firefighters are restricted from travelling outside a radius of as low as 2.5 kilometres of their station without first obtaining permission, which has a huge negative impact on their own and their families' lives;
— the very great commitment they make to be local and available, to train approximately 100 hours per annum alongside additional training requirements, and ultimately to run into a burning building and save lives; and
— that they provide this invaluable service and make these commitments in exchange for a guaranteed income of as little as €8,696 per annum;
notes with concern that:
— recruitment and retention levels in the retained fire services are beyond crisis point, as confirmed in the Government's most recent review which stated that 58 per cent of current Retained Firefighters said they were likely to leave the service within the next three years;
— due to current staffing shortages, the demands being placed upon current members of the Retained Firefighters and their families are unsustainable; and
— the ongoing failure to address the problems of the retained fire service is placing the health and safety of its members, and the public in danger;
condemns:
— the lack of action and political leadership from Minister Darragh O'Brien TD to resolve these issues, which have led to the retention and recruitment crisis in the retained fire services;
— the failure of the Government to meaningfully engage with representative bodies acting on behalf of the Retained Firefighters, which has forced the National Retained Firefighters Association to engage in industrial action; and
— the approach of the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Darragh O'Brien TD, and the Minister for Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform, Paschal Donohoe TD, which demonstrates zero appreciation of the huge dedication and sacrifice of our Retained Firefighters; and
calls on the Government to:
— urgently engage with representative bodies acting on behalf of the Retained Firefighters to avert an escalation of industrial action;
— bring forward a financial investment package which allows for the creation of a new framework for service delivery for retained fire services, and provides for increased remuneration and better conditions for current and future members; and
— immediately issue guidance to all fire authorities in respect of operational resources, including minimum staffing levels relative to the risk, various types of employee leave and standardised recruitment processes.
Debate resumed on amendment No. 1:
To delete all words after "Dáil Éireann" and substitute the following:
"recognises that:
— Retained Firefighters are highly committed frontline responders providing an exceptional service within their communities;
— Retained Firefighters live and work within close proximity of their fire station, which provides operational cover and availability of fire appliances, and this model requires a firefighter to have a high level of availability to attend emergencies and can impact on work/life balance;
— Retained Firefighters are trained to the same level as full-time firefighters and deal with the same range of emergency scenarios, and for the purposes of both health and safety and to ensure training is kept up to date, Retained Firefighters train on a regular basis throughout the year and are paid accordingly for attending all training;
— the role of a Retained Firefighter is part-time, and was never intended to provide a full-time income; and
— significant progress has been made to date and a very strong proposal was made to the Services, Industrial, Professional and Technical Union (SIPTU), which included a 20 per cent increase in staffing, an element of rebalancing pay with a structured time off and flexible working arrangements, within the scope of the Building Momentum – Public Service Agreement 2021-2023;
notes that:
— the Fire Service Policy in Ireland is based on the Keeping Communities Safe framework that sets out a risk management approach to service provision, defining fire service roles, response standards and service delivery structures;
— retained fire services operate an Incident Command System supported by standard operating guidelines, with appropriate risk control measures, which underpin the highest levels of operational safety to protect fire crews responding into hazardous situations;
— it is clear from the preliminary findings of the report entitled 'Retained Fire Services in Ireland - A Review of Recruitment and Retention and the Future Sustainability of Service Delivery', that the work-life balance for Retained Firefighters needs to be addressed to make the retained fire service an attractive employment option, and this will require significant redesign of the current rostering model; and
— the current dispute has created a high-risk environment for firefighters and the public which is deeply undesirable, and that all stakeholders would benefit from utilising the agreed mechanism for dispute resolution, the Workplace Relations Commission;
acknowledges:
— that in recognition of issues experienced by retained fire services in recruitment and retention of staff, the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Darragh O'Brien TD, directed the Management Board of the National Directorate for Fire and Emergency Management to review the delivery and sustainability of the local authority 'retained' fire services, with particular emphasis on the recruitment and retention of staff;
— that the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage published the report entitled 'Retained Fire Services in Ireland – A Review of Recruitment and Retention and the Future Sustainability of Service Delivery' in December 2022;
— that contained within the report were 13 recommendations aimed at improving the retained fire service delivery model to address the issues around retention and recruitment;
— that discussions on the implementation of these recommendations began in January 2023, through the Fire Services National Oversight and Implementation Group, chaired by David Begg, and that, at the request of SIPTU, negotiations regarding the two priority industrial relations issues identified, structured time off and remuneration, were moved to a third-party facilitation forum chaired by Ultan Courtney;
— that substantial progress was made between the parties in agreeing a revised composite agreement to standardise future employment terms and conditions, to include provision for greater work/life balance which would enable a Retained Firefighter to be away from their station fire-ground area for up to 20 weeks a year; and
— the commitment of the Government to setting out a clear pathway forward on outstanding issues that recognises the crucial role of Retained Firefighters in their community; and
supports Retained Firefighters and their representative negotiating body SIPTU to urgently re-engage with representative bodies, acting on behalf of local authority employers, the Local Government Management Agency, to set out a pathway to resolve the outstanding issues in dispute.".
- (Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage)
Amendment put.
The Dáil divided by electronic means.
Due to the appalling imagery of the retained firefighters walking out of the Public Gallery last night while the Minister was giving his speech, and because the gap was ten or fewer, under Standing Order 83(3)(b) I propose that the vote be taken by other than electronic means.
As the Deputy is a teller, he is in order in calling for such a vote.
Amendment again put:
The Dáil divided: Tá, 71; Níl, 62; Staon, 0.
Tá
- Brophy, Colm.
- Browne, James.
- Bruton, Richard.
- Burke, Colm.
- Butler, Mary.
- Byrne, Thomas.
- Cahill, Jackie.
- Calleary, Dara.
- Cannon, Ciarán.
- Carroll MacNeill, Jennifer.
- Chambers, Jack.
- Collins, Niall.
- Costello, Patrick.
- Cowen, Barry.
- Creed, Michael.
- Crowe, Cathal.
- Devlin, Cormac.
- Dillon, Alan.
- Donnelly, Stephen.
- Donohoe, Paschal.
- Duffy, Francis Noel.
- Durkan, Bernard J.
- English, Damien.
- Farrell, Alan.
- Feighan, Frankie.
- Flaherty, Joe.
- Flanagan, Charles.
- Fleming, Sean.
- Foley, Norma.
- Griffin, Brendan.
- Harris, Simon.
- Haughey, Seán.
- Heydon, Martin.
- Higgins, Emer.
- Humphreys, Heather.
- Kehoe, Paul.
- Lahart, John.
- Lawless, James.
- Leddin, Brian.
- Madigan, Josepha.
- Martin, Catherine.
- Martin, Micheál.
- Matthews, Steven.
- McAuliffe, Paul.
- McConalogue, Charlie.
- McEntee, Helen.
- McGrath, Michael.
- Moynihan, Aindrias.
- Naughton, Hildegarde.
- Noonan, Malcolm.
- O'Brien, Darragh.
- O'Brien, Joe.
- O'Callaghan, Jim.
- O'Connor, James.
- O'Dea, Willie.
- O'Donnell, Kieran.
- O'Donovan, Patrick.
- O'Gorman, Roderic.
- O'Sullivan, Christopher.
- O'Sullivan, Pádraig.
- Ó Cuív, Éamon.
- Phelan, John Paul.
- Rabbitte, Anne.
- Richmond, Neale.
- Ring, Michael.
- Ryan, Eamon.
- Smith, Brendan.
- Smyth, Ossian.
- Stanton, David.
- Troy, Robert.
- Varadkar, Leo.
Níl
- Andrews, Chris.
- Bacik, Ivana.
- Barry, Mick.
- Berry, Cathal.
- Boyd Barrett, Richard.
- Brady, John.
- Browne, Martin.
- Buckley, Pat.
- Cairns, Holly.
- Carthy, Matt.
- Clarke, Sorca.
- Collins, Michael.
- Connolly, Catherine.
- Conway-Walsh, Rose.
- Cronin, Réada.
- Crowe, Seán.
- Cullinane, David.
- Daly, Pa.
- Doherty, Pearse.
- Donnelly, Paul.
- Ellis, Dessie.
- Farrell, Mairéad.
- Fitzmaurice, Michael.
- Fitzpatrick, Peter.
- Funchion, Kathleen.
- Gannon, Gary.
- Guirke, Johnny.
- Healy-Rae, Michael.
- Howlin, Brendan.
- Kelly, Alan.
- Kenny, Martin.
- Kerrane, Claire.
- Lowry, Michael.
- Mac Lochlainn, Pádraig.
- MacSharry, Marc.
- McDonald, Mary Lou.
- McGrath, Mattie.
- McHugh, Joe.
- Mitchell, Denise.
- Munster, Imelda.
- Murphy, Catherine.
- Murphy, Paul.
- Naughten, Denis.
- Nolan, Carol.
- O'Callaghan, Cian.
- O'Rourke, Darren.
- Ó Broin, Eoin.
- Ó Laoghaire, Donnchadh.
- Ó Murchú, Ruairí.
- Ó Ríordáin, Aodhán.
- Ó Snodaigh, Aengus.
- Pringle, Thomas.
- Quinlivan, Maurice.
- Ryan, Patricia.
- Shanahan, Matt.
- Sherlock, Sean.
- Shortall, Róisín.
- Smith, Bríd.
- Smith, Duncan.
- Stanley, Brian.
- Tully, Pauline.
- Whitmore, Jennifer.
Staon
Tellers: Tá, Deputies Cormac Devlin and Hildegarde Naughton; Níl, Deputies Denise Mitchell and Pádraig Mac Lochlainn.
Amendment declared carried.
Question put: "That the motion, as amended, be agreed to."
The Dáil divided: Tá, 70; Níl, 62; Staon, 0.
Tá
- Brophy, Colm.
- Browne, James.
- Bruton, Richard.
- Burke, Colm.
- Butler, Mary.
- Byrne, Thomas.
- Cahill, Jackie.
- Calleary, Dara.
- Cannon, Ciarán.
- Carroll MacNeill, Jennifer.
- Chambers, Jack.
- Collins, Niall.
- Costello, Patrick.
- Cowen, Barry.
- Creed, Michael.
- Crowe, Cathal.
- Devlin, Cormac.
- Dillon, Alan.
- Donnelly, Stephen.
- Donohoe, Paschal.
- Duffy, Francis Noel.
- Durkan, Bernard J.
- English, Damien.
- Farrell, Alan.
- Feighan, Frankie.
- Flaherty, Joe.
- Flanagan, Charles.
- Fleming, Sean.
- Foley, Norma.
- Griffin, Brendan.
- Harris, Simon.
- Haughey, Seán.
- Heydon, Martin.
- Higgins, Emer.
- Humphreys, Heather.
- Kehoe, Paul.
- Lahart, John.
- Lawless, James.
- Leddin, Brian.
- Madigan, Josepha.
- Martin, Catherine.
- Martin, Micheál.
- Matthews, Steven.
- McAuliffe, Paul.
- McConalogue, Charlie.
- McEntee, Helen.
- McGrath, Michael.
- Moynihan, Aindrias.
- Naughton, Hildegarde.
- Noonan, Malcolm.
- O'Brien, Darragh.
- O'Brien, Joe.
- O'Callaghan, Jim.
- O'Connor, James.
- O'Dea, Willie.
- O'Donovan, Patrick.
- O'Gorman, Roderic.
- O'Sullivan, Christopher.
- O'Sullivan, Pádraig.
- Ó Cuív, Éamon.
- Phelan, John Paul.
- Rabbitte, Anne.
- Richmond, Neale.
- Ring, Michael.
- Ryan, Eamon.
- Smith, Brendan.
- Smyth, Ossian.
- Stanton, David.
- Troy, Robert.
- Varadkar, Leo.
Níl
- Andrews, Chris.
- Bacik, Ivana.
- Barry, Mick.
- Berry, Cathal.
- Boyd Barrett, Richard.
- Brady, John.
- Browne, Martin.
- Buckley, Pat.
- Cairns, Holly.
- Carthy, Matt.
- Clarke, Sorca.
- Collins, Michael.
- Conway-Walsh, Rose.
- Cronin, Réada.
- Crowe, Seán.
- Cullinane, David.
- Daly, Pa.
- Doherty, Pearse.
- Donnelly, Paul.
- Ellis, Dessie.
- Farrell, Mairéad.
- Fitzmaurice, Michael.
- Fitzpatrick, Peter.
- Funchion, Kathleen.
- Gannon, Gary.
- Guirke, Johnny.
- Healy-Rae, Michael.
- Howlin, Brendan.
- Kelly, Alan.
- Kenny, Gino.
- Kenny, Martin.
- Kerrane, Claire.
- Lowry, Michael.
- Mac Lochlainn, Pádraig.
- MacSharry, Marc.
- McDonald, Mary Lou.
- McGrath, Mattie.
- McHugh, Joe.
- Mitchell, Denise.
- Munster, Imelda.
- Murphy, Catherine.
- Murphy, Paul.
- Naughten, Denis.
- Nolan, Carol.
- O'Callaghan, Cian.
- O'Rourke, Darren.
- Ó Broin, Eoin.
- Ó Laoghaire, Donnchadh.
- Ó Murchú, Ruairí.
- Ó Ríordáin, Aodhán.
- Ó Snodaigh, Aengus.
- Pringle, Thomas.
- Quinlivan, Maurice.
- Ryan, Patricia.
- Shanahan, Matt.
- Sherlock, Sean.
- Shortall, Róisín.
- Smith, Bríd.
- Smith, Duncan.
- Stanley, Brian.
- Tully, Pauline.
- Whitmore, Jennifer.
Staon
Tellers: Tá, Deputies Hildegarde Naughton and Cormac Devlin; Níl, Deputies Pádraig Mac Lochlainn and Denise Mitchell.
Question declared carried.