Mr. Michael Dixon:

I think Mr. Gregg has covered almost everything in his response. There are a few things of which we should be mindful. What we are dealing with here is people's lives. As we have seen in the past 12 months, people's lives have been lost. There is no way at any stage that we can attribute this either to the ambulance service or to the incidents that took place. One of the most important issues is to look at the bigger picture of the reconstruction of the hospital network and the changes that have been introduced. If we wish to advance the service, one issue that has been highlighted is the closure of accident and emergency units in smaller hospitals in various counties. These were a vital cog in the provision of care because they were centres of definitive care. They have the X-rays, the doctors on the scene and the surgery facilities. To remove them is to remove a very critical part of emergency care. If the reconfiguration is designed to be best practice and what we have then is centres of excellence, the longer distances we have to travel create bigger gaps in the system. The only way we can secure those gaps is through further investment in the ambulance service. One provision we sought is that the saving made by the reconfiguration of closures of smaller accident and emergency departments be invested in the ambulance service. The ambulance service is the conduit. That is the health service as it stands. Paramedics are at the front line and are first on the scene. They require the support of the committee and the Health Service Executive to order to give the general public the service it requires.