Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 30 June 2026
493. Deputy John Brady asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the estimated cost of extending the retirement age for retained firefighters in line with the State pension age of 66; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [49416/26]
View answerUnder Section 159 of the Local Government Act 2001, each Chief Executive is responsible for the staffing and organisational arrangements necessary for carrying out the functions of the local authority for which they are responsible, including the potential costs of employing staff, irrespective of their role. My Department does not hold data at this granular level.
The 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 & 2003. My Department supports fire authorities through setting general policy, providing a central training programme, issuing guidance on operational and other related matters and providing capital funding support for equipment and priority infrastructural projects.
In 2024, the Courts, Civil Law, Criminal Law and Superannuation (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2024 was enacted. This Act amended, among other matters, the law in relation to the age at which certain public servants are required to retire. Part 11 of the Act provided the then Minister for Public Expenditure National Development Plan Delivery and Reform (M/PENDR), to make orders, enabling line ministers – Justice, Defence, and Housing – to make regulations regarding the retirement age of uniformed services. Indeed, these regulations were made in August 2024, with the consent of then M/PENDR, raising the mandatory retirement age to 62. Given that the retirement age of firefighters was addressed less than two years ago in consultation with staff representative bodies, there are no plans to revisit it presently.
