Mr. Martin Dunne:

Community first responders are part of our team this stage, with the aim of caring for the patient as quickly as we can. The answer to the Deputy's question is "No" because of technology issues. An appropriate interface is required between the command and control centre and the community responders. As they are community volunteers, they have to develop rotas among themselves. We need to have some way of communicating safely with them, both from a dispatch point of view and for their own safety. We are working closely with them around the country to ensure we have a strong and trusting relationship. The Irish Heart Foundation is also working with us to develop schemes. However, the technology is not sufficiently robust to guarantee the co-ordination to which the Deputy referred.

On the issue of black spot areas, we are trying to allocate dedicated resources in these areas from our current complement of staff. In certain areas we operate what we call dynamic deployment, whereby crews from other areas are sent to provide cover. These crews operate from emergency dispatch points and if they are the closest resource, they respond to calls in the same manner as any other vehicle, regardless of whether they are based in the area in question. We are working with local staff and managers to develop a more robust, continuous and safe system in each area.