Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 21 April 2026
587. Deputy John Brady asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if consideration has been given to extending the mandatory retirement age to 62 to members of the retained fire service; if he can provide details of any analysis or costings that have been carried out on the issue; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28649/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraUnder 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. This includes managing operational costs.
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) Bill 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 (MRA) to 62. As the MRA was raised less than two years ago, there are no plans to revisit this matter at this time.
