AQW 42217/22-27

Mr Andrew McMurray
Alliance Party
South Down

Tabled Date: 10/03/2026
Answered On Date: 30/03/2026
Priority Written: No

Question:
To ask the Minister of Health, given the importance of retained fire fighters to the functioning of the Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service (NIFRS), to detail any engagement he has had with the Minister for Education in relation to changing Department of Education guidance to allow teachers to take paid leave to attend mandatory NIFRS training as an on-call firefighter, since the start of the 2022-27 Assembly mandate.

Answer:

My department remains committed to supporting the Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service (NIFRS) in maintaining a sustainable and resilient retained workforce. Whilst NIFRS has no restrictions on teachers serving as retained officers, they do not normally apply for oncall duties that would conflict with their primary employment.

I understand the ability to attend mandatory training is important for retention and operational readiness. NIFRS seeks to be as flexible as possible in training retained firefighters whilst balancing their primary jobs.