Brian Stanley (Laois-Offaly, Sinn Fein)
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I thank Ms O'Connor for her reply. Before we conclude, I will revert to the issue of the ambulances for a moment, although only briefly because we are up against the clock. On Mr. Reid's point about visiting a centre, I have no problem doing that. I am sure that, when I go to a call centre - there is one in Tallaght and another in Ballyshannon - that I will see that it works efficiently, that a response will be given within the allowed time and that an ambulance will be mobilised to go to the scene of the accident or that an emergency call will get a response within the time allowed. I have no doubt about that. The system is there. I do not speak about ticking a box in any sort of glib way. I am saying that I understand that those response times are being met in the centre but that the problem is in the deployment on the ground. If somebody is lying seriously injured 15 miles from Portlaoise hospital, for example, and the ambulances from that general area are 50, 60, 80 or 100 km away, that creates a problem.

It creates a problem if there are several ambulances chasing the same emergency. That is what is happening. I have outlined the situation to Mr. Reid. I hear about these cases from ambulance crews. These are honest people who are concerned about patient safety. They will not gain extra pay for letting us know these things. I hear these things from people working in the ambulance sector across the State. They are honourable people who give their all. What I am saying to Mr. Reid is this is where the problem is and we cannot continue to ignore it. I have been raising this issue in the Dáil for several years and although Mr. Reid has done some great work as CEO of the HSE, I am disappointed with his response on this issue and I will continue to raise it. Ministers have to take this issue on board as well because human life and health and the well-being of patients has to be paramount. I ask Mr. Reid to reflect on what I am saying to him. I am not saying it to score points; I am saying it truthfully based on the knowledge available to me. I have a real concern, first for my constituents, but also for the wider public across this State. We have to try to do our best for them. I thank Mr. Reid for his reply but ask him to please reflect on what I have said. That is all I ask of him.