Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 12 February 2026
405. Deputy Joanna Byrne asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the amount which has been paid to each local authority to meet the requirements of the firefighter pay deal; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11136/26]
View answerLocal authorities are implementing the terms of a September 2023 Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) agreement with retained firefighters, in conjunction with an accepted Labour Court recommendation of February 2025, on an uplift to the retainer payment made to retained firefighters, that now provides guaranteed fixed minimum earnings in excess of €24,500 for new recruits (as 1 Feb 2026). That guaranteed payment is in addition to any operational activity based earnings. It should be noted that:
• local authorities are currently transitioning Retained Fire Services payments structure from quarterly to fortnightly payments, with an expectation of full implementation in 2026;
• an equivalent of 40 hours fixed per annum Community Fire Safety (CFS) payment is paid annually;
• retained firefighters have access to an additional 40 hours annually for undertaking Community Fire Safety activities (a bank of 480 hrs per station);
• standard hourly pay rates apply from 08:00 to 19:59 Mon to Fri;
• premium pay (double time) hourly pay rates apply from 20:00 to 07:59 and weekends/public holidays;
• two hours per week, (station drills), are paid at the premium rate (double time);
• retained firefighters are free to hold full or part-time primary employment;
• retained firefighters are guaranteed to receive minimum attendance payments equivalent to 75 hours at the basic rate annually, regardless of station activity;
• the variability in pay after the primary fixed elements (i.e. retainer, weekly drill, fixed CFS payment) is dependent on the number of incidents in both the station and the actual number that each individual firefighter attends.
Retained firefighters have secured improved work life balance through a new model of service provision of structured time off with a 24 week-on, 24 week-flexible roster with four weeks’ annual leave per annum.
This model provides for the option, while placing no obligation on retained firefighters, to attend incidents on their week-flexible. This is equivalent to a 50% reduction in incident attendance obligations from the pre-WRC agreement position.
A national standard level of 12 crew per retained fire station has been established. This rise in crewing numbers equates to an approximate increase of 20% in retained firefighter numbers from the pre-WRC agreement position.
The recruitment of additional retained firefighters is helping to build higher levels of capacity and resilience in our retained fire service. These measures strengthen both the response capability and fire safety across the communities served by a network of 201 retained fire stations.
In the period since the WRC agreement, September 2023 to November 2025, 629 new recruits have successfully entered local authority fire services showing the success of the revised terms and conditions achieved by retained firefighters in addressing retained fire service recruitment concerns.
The financial implications of supporting the retained firefighters WRC agreement and subsequent Labour Court recommendations are significant. Constrained Local authority finances have meant a significant proportion of the additional payroll costs must be met from additional central Exchequer funding. Since 2023, my Department has sought additional funding through the annual Estimates process with the Department of Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation (DPEIPSRD). These additional funds substantially support the implementation of the WRC and Labour court mandated improvements to the terms and conditions of retained firefighters. With payments in excess of €72.8 million made to local authorities in the period September 2023 to December 2025. This support is available specifically in respect of the WRC and Labour Court agreement, recognising the successful outcome from in resolving the retention and recruitment issues in the retained fire service.
The table below shows the total Payments made from 2023 to December 2025 to retained fire authorities.
