Mr. Paul Reid:

First, any situation where there are significant delays, like those the Chair just relayed, is unacceptable. I fully accept the credentials of the cases that the Chair just relayed. What I will say, Chair, is that I disagree that the system is not working. I am happy to facilitate a visit to our National Ambulance Centre in Tallaght, as well as its backup service in Donegal. I have been in it on numerous occasions. We have brought administrations from other parts of the world, including the UK. There is no doubt that the national ambulance system overall is one of the best in class. I fully appreciate the examples that the Chair has raised. However, it is not about ticking a box; it is about patient safety driving full deployment and best utilisation, based on the clinical cases that arise, on the availability of ambulances, and on the prioritisation of utilisation of fleets.

Chair, I fully accept what you have just said, none of which is acceptable. However, I will not accept that the system is not working overall. It is one of the best in class deployment systems you will come across. The centre staff themselves-----