Ms Laverne McGuinness:

Deputy Denis Naughten asked a couple of questions. The purpose of the ambulance service is to try to respond to as many calls as possible in the quickest time possible. Front-line ambulance service staff pride themselves on doing this. They are extremely committed and dedicated employees who work very hard and come to the rescue of patients when they are at their most vulnerable.

The reason the information on eight minute response times has not been published is that we do not have the information infrastructure to do so in a safe manner. Notwithstanding this, we are trying to do so.

The purpose of the capacity review was not for us to throw our hands in the air because this cannot be done but to identify how we can provide services, particularly in areas of the west where there have been gaps and black spots, as quickly as possible. The international capacity review was established for this reason. It did not only compare the Irish ambulance service with its counterpart in England but also with the services in Scotland, Wales, Australia and New Zealand. It carried out a large amount of comparative research, which is the reason it is taking longer to complete than we expected or would have liked.