For the past two weeks, Cork city’s firefighters have taken limited industrial action and protested outside the city’s fire brigade headquarters for half an hour each day. They are highlighting the fact that since the city’s boundary extension in 2019, they are required to serve an area five times the size with double the population, with the same number of full-time staff and fewer fire trucks – three instead of four.

I believe that this is a health and safety issue for every man, woman and child in Cork city. It may not have led to loss of life yet but it certainly has led to terrible situations. For example, on 28 February, the stretched fire services were attending a fire in Glanmire when a call came through about a house fire in Ballincollig. It took the brigade more than 20 minutes to reach the Ballincollig fire. The house was totally gutted, yet three minutes away from the gutted house was an empty fire station. Ballincollig fire station has been empty for several years because Cork City Council has failed to staff it. The council has advertised for retained firefighters to staff Ballincollig for two and a half years but in this time it has not filled a single position. It may be possible to recruit retained firefighters in small rural communities, though clearly the wages will need to be raised. However, in urban areas the requirement to be able to report for duty within three to five minutes is not realistic and there are no takers. Cork city firefighters have volunteered to staff Ballincollig and bring the fourth fire truck into play while the council recruits more staff, be they full-time or retained, but for more than two years now their offer has been spurned.

This is not just a local issue; it is an extreme example of what is happening in other areas too. The opening of the Stardust inquest underlines the devastation that can be caused by fire. The State has a responsibility to protect life. I do not know whether the Cork city fire chief has sent a new section 26 plan to the Minister. Perhaps the Taoiseach will clarify but he should not stand idly by while a tragedy is waiting to happen in the second-largest city in the State.

I have two questions. Does he accept there is a crisis around the recruitment and retention of retained firefighters and the State needs to step up recruitment of full-time staff? Last but not least, does the fact that firefighters feel the need to protest publicly in uniform give the Taoiseach any sense of concern about the unfolding situation in Cork city?

I thank the Deputy for raising this important issue. I was aware of the protests when I visited Cork last week. This is a live issue and, because it is an industrial relations matter, I am limited in what I can say in the House. I understand Cork City Council has invited SIPTU to talks with a view to finding a solution to the dispute and remains available to meet staff representatives. The city council is also engaging with the Workplace Relations Commission, WRC, which is the Government office often used to facilitate resolutions to disputes such as this.

The Government stands ready to intervene through the WRC should both sides be willing to do that. We strongly encourage all parties to use the established industrial relations machinery of the State to solve this dispute. I am told negotiations are ongoing with unions and representatives of the retained fire service. It relates to rostering, pay and conditions and recruitment. All of these are on the table. I know the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Deputy Darragh O'Brien, is actively involved in this and hopes it can be concluded by the summer.

I note in passing that tomorrow is the final day in the ballot for industrial action by staff at the National Ambulance Service. Like the firefighters, they face a crisis in recruitment and retention. The new grades and pay rates agreed in their review need to be implemented now.

On the issue of the Cork city fire services, the mantra from City Hall just is not good enough. Cork City Council has told SIPTU it remains available for talks. What is the point of talks unless there is something to discuss? For more than two years the firefighters and their union representatives have been waiting for Cork City Council to put something on the table that can be discussed. There is no point in having talks about talks. The retained firefighters will keep a close eye on the situation. Real progress needs to be made and there needs to be real pay increases for those workers.

I reiterate this is a health and safety issue for every man, woman and child in Cork. The area has doubled in population and is five times the size of that previously covered, with fewer resources for the fire service. This is unacceptable and needs to change very quickly. The Taoiseach has not heard the last of this one.

We published the retained fire service review. It went to Cabinet only a few weeks ago. Approximately 1,000 submissions were made, including many from the retained service. As a point of context, it is worth pointing out once again that we are very close to full employment in this country with 2.6 million people at work. This is more than ever before. We have more public servants than we ever had in the past. Recruitment and retention challenges exist across our economy, in the public sector and the private sector and in well-paid and highly paid jobs. Everyone is struggling to recruit and retain staff in the context of full employment. It is not necessarily as simple as increased wages resulting in more staff being available. It requires much more than that, particularly with regard to making sure that we have enough people trained and educated to do the jobs we need them to do and that we are able to bring people in from abroad if they have the skills that we need.