Gerry Adams (Louth, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Gabhaim buíochas le oifig an Cheann Comhairle as ucht seans a thabhairt dom caint faoi bhás Wayne McQuillan. I want to extend my condolences and sympathies to the family of Wayne McQuillan, who was stabbed in Drogheda in the early hours of New Year's Day. I am conscious that the raising of this issue could cause further trauma and grief for them. That is certainly not my intention. According to the National Ambulance Service, the nearest available ambulance to respond to this incident was in Ardee. The service has suggested that it took 21 minutes for the ambulance to arrive at the scene. This falls outside the target set in the 2014 national service plan. By the time the ambulance arrived, the Garda had decided to move Mr. McQuillan to Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital, where he died, regrettably. The actual time between the receipt of the first call and arrival on the scene of the ambulance after its despatch was 25 minutes. I understand that an ambulance was available at Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital on the morning of New Year's Day, but it was not despatched. Is this true?

There was another serious incident on Monday of this week when a woman collapsed on West Street in Drogheda. Earlier that day, the Drogheda ambulance had been despatched to Navan even though a local crew was available in Navan. That was in addition to a second crew in Dunshaughlin and an emergency response vehicle in Navan. Why was the Drogheda crew despatched there? As a consequence of that decision, the ambulance had to travel back to Drogheda to deal with this incident. This took more than 30 minutes. These difficulties are not the fault of the ambulance staff or the emergency services. First responders are deeply frustrated about being expected to work in these conditions. I welcome the HIQA investigation into the circumstances surrounding the death of Wayne McQuillan. An investigation of the resourcing, structure and management systems in this area is also needed. We must ensure this investigation is carried out in consultation with front-line staff, including those who provide ambulance services.

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