I have spent a lot of time over the past couple of weeks speaking to firefighters in my constituency of Wicklow. When I talk to them, there are some themes coming through: their love for their job, their love for their community, and the huge impact their pay and conditions are having on them and their families' lives. They are really being asked to do the impossible under the current situation. The Taoiseach says he is committed to seeing this issue resolved, and I hope that is true. Why then has he not dealt with this before now? This has been an issue for the entirety of his position in Government. Why is the Government forcing firefighters to do something that goes against every single bone in their body by forcing them out onto the picket line to fight for very basic pay and conditions the rest of us enjoy?

I thank the Deputy. As I said earlier, we value the contribution retained firefighters make. They provide an excellent service. We believe this dispute can be resolved, as all disputes are resolved. To answer the Deputy's question, we have a system by which we bargain public pay centrally with the Government. It is a good system and it has existed for a very long time. We have an agreement between the unions on the one hand and the Government on the other hand to give several pay increases across the course of this year to all public servants. We are bound by that agreement and we will honour it. Equally, we expect the union side to honour the agreements it makes. That includes all public servants. This matter can be resolved and within the context of the agreement the union side has made with us. It made the agreement and voted for it, but it has to be done by negotiation.

Two thirds of the nation's firefighters are now directly involved in an industrial dispute with the Taoiseach's Government. Our 2,000 retained firefighters risk their lives to protect the public. The Taoiseach's Government has chosen to ignore their justified demand for a better core rate of pay. As a result of this choice, these firefighters have been left with little option but to escalate their action today, with the result that 50% of the nation's fire stations are now closed. They are closed on the Taoiseach's watch. I support the firefighters. My clear sense is that a big majority of the public support the firefighters too. Will the Taoiseach address the issue at stake here in a serious way or will he keep his head in the sand and just wait for this dispute to escalate further?

I thank the Deputy. As I said earlier, we very much value the work of retained firefighters. They provide an exceptional service around the country. We are confident this dispute can be resolved by negotiation. We are a Government that recognises trade unions. We engage in collective bargaining with trade unions. We come to an agreement with trade unions, and we expect those agreements to be honoured because we honour them too. We have an agreement with the trade unions; it is called Building Momentum. There was a ballot of public servants across the country, who voted in ballots for that agreement. We are honouring it and we expect everyone to honour it too.