Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 13 February 2024
404. Deputy Mattie McGrath asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if grant funding is available to support an organisation (details supplied) in Tipperary; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6336/24]
View answerMy Department supports local authority fire and rescue services through setting general policy, providing a central training programme for fire service officers, issuing guidance on operational and other related matters and providing capital funding for vehicles, equipment and priority infrastructural projects.
In Ireland, approximately three thousand two hundred highly trained firefighters provide fire, rescue and other emergency services across a network of 217 fire stations through the 27 local authority fire services.
My Department carefully manages the fire service capital programme to support the work of local authority fire and emergency services in protecting people, communities, property and local infrastructure from fire and other emergencies, ensuring a robust emergency response capacity is available when called upon.
During 2023 in Tipperary alone, my Department provided in excess of €3.7 million in funding supports for the construction of fire service infrastructure and the procurement of frontline specialist emergency response appliances, vehicles and equipment.
Unfortunately, while I recognise the valuable support of the supplementary local response provided by volunteer groups, my Department’s remit in supporting the local authority led response provides no line of funding for equipment of the type mentioned to voluntary emergency response groups.
