Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I acknowledge there are particular issues in the mid-west area and I will meet the Limerick hospital group tomorrow to discuss some of those issues.

Deputy Kelly raises the issue of ambulances with me on a regular basis. Additional funding of €3.6 million has been made available to the national ambulance service, NAS, this year. It is responsible for 1,700 staff, 490 vehicles and a total budget of €155 million. Inter-hospital transfers were to be prioritised in its budget. The Deputy is correct that there are patients in Limerick hospital at weekends who could be elsewhere.