Ms Laverne McGuinness:

As for Deputy Regina Doherty's question on emergency department turnaround times, we are improving, but there still is a road to go. The figures I have provided are for the vehicles to be ready again to take another call, that is, there is no holding of patients. The figures I provided in respect of 94% being available within one hour mean that the ambulances are then available to pick up another patient or take another call. They are actually cleared at that point in time in that the trolleys and everything else are back within the ambulances within that time and not in any holding or clearing bay, as referenced by the Deputy.

In response to Deputy Peter Fitzpatrick on the control centres and the movement towards them, the Tallaght control centre will be opened on 31 January 2015. By February Tullamore and Wexford will be the only two centres that will not be on the single system because it is one control centre over two sites. The centres in Ballyshannon and Tallaght will be in place and only the Wexford and Tullamore centres will remain to make the transition to Tallaght, a transition which will be completed in 2015.

As stated, 47 new ambulances will come into service in 2015 and replace fully the older vehicles which will then be decommissioned. As for the aforementioned 36 new ambulances, there is a decommissioning programme and while Mr. Dunne will go through the technicalities, there is chassis and cab replacement, as well as engine replacement. There is a system for technical replacement involving recycling in this regard.

Deputy Sandra McLellan raised specific points with regard to Kilkenny and Youghal to which Mr. Dunne might respond, as well as to the question asked by Deputy Peter Fitzpatrick on what happens to the vehicles.