Is time running out for Louth fireman asks Sinn Fein TD

Will the government’s decision to increase the mandatory retirement age for retained firefighters to 62 come in time for Louth firefighter John Molloy?

That’s the question posed by Sinn Féin TD Ruairí Ó Murchú after the announcement on Friday that Minister for Housing and Local Government, Darragh O’Brien, has secured approval from the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform (DPER) to raise the age from 60 to 62.

But time is running out for Dunleer-based retained fire station officer John Molloy, who is due to turn 60 on May 24 and, if the changed retirement age is not legislated for in time, he will be forced to leave the job he loves.

A press statement from the Department of Housing and Local Government said: ‘Minister O’Brien has now secured approval for that change and (DPER) Minister Donohoe has confirmed the necessary legislative amendments to facilitate an extension of the mandatory age of retirement for uniformed services up to the age of 62 would include both full-time and retained fire service personnel.

‘It is expected that the necessary legislative provisions can be enacted before the Dáil summer recess’.

Deputy Ó Murchú, who raised the issue during Leo Varadkar’s last Taoiseach’s questions, told the former Fine Gael leader: ‘At the end of the day, the difficulty is that Mr. Molloy will turn 60 on 24 May.

‘He is the fifth man in the minimum crew of five. Not only would we lose him with no one to replace him, we could also have an issue with the fire station. The Taoiseach said I would get an answer from DPER but we need some kind of interim fix if we will not have an answer from the Department quickly enough.

“A circular could be issued by office of the Minister O’Brien, as happened before. We need to find some kind of solution to allow John Molloy to keep operating and Dunleer fire station to stay open’.

In response, the former Taoiseach had said he would follow up on the matter of Mr. Molloy, commenting that “It would be strange if he was forced to retire and then rehired in a few months’ time.

“We need a common sense approach to this if at all possible. I will follow it up with the Department of public expenditure.”

Deputy Ó Murchú said he would continue to follow up with the government on getting a timeline for the introduction of the legislation in order to ensure that Mr Molloy will not have to retire on May 24.