Ciara Conway (Waterford, Labour) | Oireachtas source

My question is an amalgam of the issues raised by Deputy Ó Caoláin and Senator Colm Burke. I am sorry to refer back to Deputy Ó Caoláin's tragic personal story. The report mentioned that people do not have technical expertise. Is Mr. Quinn saying that people in the ambulance response unit do not have the technical expertise to deploy an ambulance that is closer than the 45-mile distance to which Deputy Ó Caoláin referred? If so, that is outrageous. I know it is not Mr. Quinn's responsibility but that is a worrying finding from the report - that people are in positions but do not have the technical expertise to carry out their functions. Who appointed these people? Did the report look into that?

Mr. Quinn spoke about challenges regarding leadership. I would like to know a little bit more about that aspect. Who are these leaders who are challenged? The way in which they are managing and deploying resources within their service is obviously inadequate. How can somebody be given a job that they do not know how to do? We would not ask an occupational therapist to carry out surgical procedures. If it is the case that people are being appointed to posts for which they are unqualified, that is outrageous. It is a serious finding. If that is the case, I thank Mr. Quinn for unearthing it.

As regards the relationship between the Dublin fire brigade and the ambulance service, it would appear that there is little or no communication and they operate in a disjointed manner. Nearly half the population lives within the greater Dublin area, although there are challenges in rural areas. If that is the case, why is it happening? That potential duplication of services seems ludicrous when we know it is difficult, in some places, to get an ambulance to a crisis within the required time.

The report referred to community engagement concerning ambulance services. Can Mr. Quinn explain that to me because I do not understand it? Is he talking about Order of Malta services, the Civil Defence or other first responders? I would like to know a little more about that and what can be done to improve it.

What jumped out of the report for me was that we have people in positions who reported to HIQA that they do not have the appropriate technical knowledge. That is outrageous. While I thank Mr. Quinn for his report and for attending the committee today, we need to delve more deeply into the issues raised by his report.