Mr. Martin Dunne:

We have invested very heavily in a complete command and control system, driven by GeoDirectory, the mapping system for the whole country. It is set down over a gazetteer and breaks it down into very tight areas. A command and control centre is split into two halves. When one calls it, one will speak to a call-taker on one side whose sole role and function is to take the ambulance call, not to dispatch. As he or she gets the address, the call-taker gets a menu that automatically generates a map to the location. That allows him or her to dispatch the closest ambulance on that system from the dispatcher, who is in another part of the centre. It is mapped and tracked as it goes along. In some cases it is fair to say there may have been errors, but we have found it to be a most robust system. We are continually updating that system with GeoDirectory to ensure the maps are robust and up-to-date for the whole of the country.