Manus Boyle (Fine Gael)
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Good morning. The witnesses are very welcome. I am sure they know I am from Donegal. It goes without saying that I have problems with the ambulance service. I had a lot of information ready, but I did not know the time would be cut. To give the witnesses a brief overview, my mother became seriously ill a couple of years ago. Only for my sister managing to get her into the health centre in Killybegs, she would not be here today. The ambulance had to come from Letterkenny and it took one hour and a half.

The first thing I must say is that the ambulance service’s personnel could not be better people. They are so polite and highly trained. They are a credit to NAS. They turn out day after day to every kind of scene and they are so good to both the patient and family. That has to be commended.

Another example is the case of an 86-year old man who fell outside his house in Kilcar in April. His daughter called 999 at two minutes past 11 o’clock, but the ambulance did not arrive for an hour and 40 minutes later. The ambulance had to come from Roscommon. A family in Portnoo who have a son with severe disabilities called for an ambulance at 9.30 p.m. but it only turned up at 11 p.m.

I have a couple of questions for the witnesses. I am going to be very blunt with my first. I met Mr. Martin Dunne, Mr. Robert Morton’s predecessor, previously. He promised that he would carry out a review into Killybegs, but I have not heard diddly squat about it since. Why was the second crew taken out of Killybegs? Can someone answer that now? For as long as I remember, there were always two crews in that station. That station covers the area from Inver Bridge to Malin Beg to Fintown. It is a large geographical area. Why was that second crew taken away?