Martin Kenny
Question:303. Deputy Martin Kenny asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the reason firemen are not being recruited in Bundoran and Ballyshannon, County Donegal. [20556/16]
View answerTuesday, 12 July 2016
Questions (303)
Written answers
Fire services are provided by local authorities in accordance with the provisions of the Fire Services Acts 1981 and 2003. Under section 10 of the 1981 Act, a fire authority is required to make provision for the delivery of fire services in its functional area, including the assessment of fire cover needs and the provision of premises.
In relation to the staffing requirements in each local authority, it is the responsibility of each Chief Executive, under the Local Government Act 2001, to employ such staff and to make such staffing, funding, recruitment and organisational arrangements as may be deemed necessary for the purposes of carrying out the functions of their local authority.
My Department operated a delegated sanction from the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform for implementation of the moratorium on recruitment in relation to local authorities up to the end of 2015. The Department examined all staffing sanction requests on a case by case basis having due regard to the continued delivery of key services in the context of staffing and budgetary constraints. In considering sanction requests, public safety, maintaining key front line services and economic considerations were given precedence.
Fire-fighter numbers in Ireland have been maintained at a constant level since the introduction of the moratorium in 2009 until its removal in December 2015. Since the beginning of 2015, a total of 24 posts have been approved by my Department for the Fire Service in Donegal, including 5 posts in Bundoran and 4 posts in Ballyshannon.