As I speak, retained firefighters are on the picket line in Drogheda and they have been forced to do so and left with no other option because of Government inaction. At present only six out of ten retained firefighter positions in Drogheda are filled, and that is a problem across County Louth which has been ongoing for seven years. They work six 24-hour shifts in a row, with only two days off. They are on call for 144 hours per week and have a five-minute turnaround time to get to the station, which most find impossible, and that affects their pay too. Earlier the Taoiseach said he values their work but does he respect their work? The Taoiseach is fully aware that discussions broke down in May and clearly the offers are not realistic or fair. If he values and respects their work, will the Taoiseach ensure, given how long this has been going on, that a realistic offer of proper pay and conditions is made to them?

Of course we respect their work and we also respect and honour the agreements we have made. We have an agreement with the public sector unions for pay increases across this year. We are honouring that agreement and we expect the union side to honour it too. This dispute can be resolved but that can only be done within that agreement. An intervention from the Workplace Relations Commission, WRC, which is the Government office charged to resolve disputes like this when necessary, is possible.

Last week the Government published its latest report on the well-being framework, entitled: Understanding Life in Ireland. It has 11 dimensions measuring over 35 indicators. It is timely in the budgeting process and I like how it falls before the summer economic statement, which feeds into the national economic dialogue, and within the report there is some good and some bad. I dwell on the environmental measures as being some of the less positive but overall it is important and positive work. One deficiency I have pointed to time and again is culture and language and how this report is entirely silent on issues of culture and language. We only have to look at the well-being frameworks in Wales or New Zealand to see how this can be woven in and incorporated. I know this is an iterative process. Do we have any plans to include things like language and culture in future versions of this report?

The well-being framework was a major initiative of this new Government and assesses our performance as a country across 35 different indicators, including economic, social and environmental and I believe there is a cultural element too. We are doing well on 25 of those indicators and we are not doing as well as we would like on eight. It confirms the view of the UN and others that Ireland is one of the best places in the world in which to live. However, there is always room for improvement. The Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media, Deputy Catherine Martin, has raised the issue of having a 36th indicator on the Irish language and culture and Deputy Ó Cathasaigh has made the same point now. Over the course of the next few months I am planning on organising a half-day seminar led by the Department of the Taoiseach to review the outcome of the framework.

It will also look at how we might change and improve the framework. Certainly, that can be part of it. This is something we will consider and that can, perhaps, form part of the framework for next year.

The members of fire crew KY 18 based at Kenmare fire station are picketing on days on which they are not on call. It is not for me to advise the Government, but must inform it that this matter is going to be sorted one way or another. Why in the name of God would the Government want to discredit itself by not being proactive and saying that retained firefighters deserve to be sorted out? This issue should have been resolved a long time ago. The Government is going to do it anyway, so why not knuckle down now, please? On behalf of the retained firefighters in County Kerry, I am asking the Government to sort out this matter. It will have to be sorted one way or another. Why would the Government delay matters and discredit itself by not being proactive? I am asking in the nicest possible way that it help these great, hardworking men and women. They help us when we need them. That cannot be denied. My shop went on fire one time and I was damn glad to see the members of KY 18 arriving to Kilgarvan to help me as they have done for many others over the years.

Thank you, Deputy.

I appreciate their work, and I know the Taoiseach does too. I am asking him to try to resolve this matter.

First, the Deputy’s advice is always welcome. Second, he is right that this dispute will be resolved, as is the case with all disputes. However, we have to resolve disputes within the confines of the agreements that we have made. The Government and the trade unions made an agreement. We signed off on it at Cabinet; the unions balloted their members and they voted for it. As a result, any solution has to be within the terms of that agreement. That can be done once both sides accept the basic principle that when you make an agreement, you have to stand by it. State agencies such as the Workplace Relations Commission are ready to intervene if there is a willingness to engage.