Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 10 December 2019
666. Deputy Gerry Adams asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government the funding allocated to Louth County Council for fire services in each of the years 2016 to 2018 and to date in 2019, in tabular form. [51301/19]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe 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. My Department supports fire authorities through setting general policy and progressing legislation, providing a central training programme, issuing guidance on operational and other related matters and providing capital funding support for equipment and priority infrastructural projects. The current funding requirements of the service are met on an annual basis by the relevant local authority concerned.
The Fire Services Capital Programme forms an important part of my Department’s strategy to support fire authorities in the development and maintenance of a quality fire-fighting and rescue service. My Department provides capital funding for the construction/upgrading of priority fire station projects and the procurement of fire appliances and specialised equipment.
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. The funding provided to Louth County Council in the period requested is outlined in the table below.
Funding provided to Louth County Council Fire Service
|
2016 |
2017 |
2018 |
2019 (to date) |
|
|
Louth |
€0 |
€406,393 |
€228,378 |
€84,475 |
For completeness, Louth County Council also received a new Class B Fire Appliance as part of the 2015 Fire Appliance Procurement Programme which is valued at approximately €340,000.
My Department is also funding the Fire Services' CTrí (previously known as CAMP) project dealing with the Fire Services' 999/112 emergency call-taking service for the public. It is a nation-wide system, based in three regional communication centres in Dublin, Limerick and Castlebar. The CTrí Project will see the introduction of a new mobilisation system better linking the three centres. This will provide the opportunity to achieve an improved, more resilient service to the public. Funding of €1.62 million, €1.87 million and €2.7 million was provided for this project by my Department in the years 2016, 2017 and 2018 respectively. This funding is ongoing and a further €3.2 million has been provided in the current year to date. Due to the nature of this project, which will benefit every county in the country, the funding has not been apportioned on a county-by-county basis.
