Finian McGrath (Dublin North Central, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I am grateful for the opportunity to speak on this urgent and important debate on our ambulance service. Our paramedics do amazing work. This is a very important part of the engine room of our front-line services and it is vital to the provision of a quality health service generally. We can have all the talk we want about reform and change, but this is an opportunity to do something to ensure all our citizens get a decent and safe health service. I take the opportunity to commend and pay tribute to all of those in our front-line ambulance service, especially on the north side of Dublin.

When one looks at the facts, it is an eye opener. One can see clearly the gaps and urgent need for action. The Twenty-six Counties with a population of 4.6 million have an ambulance service which employs fewer than 1,600 staff and has an annual budget of €137.4 million. In the North of Ireland, which has a population of 1.7 million, there is an ambulance service which employs just under 1,200 staff with an annual budget of €78 million. Scotland has a population of 5.3 million and its ambulance service employs more than 4,500 staff and has an annual budget of €258 million. That is the reality on the ground and the reason we must fund our ambulance service, particularly on the north side of Dublin but nationally as well.

There is nationwide concern and disquiet about the provision of ambulance services. Delays in accident and emergency situations are a major issue. In 2013, only one in every three people with life-threatening conditions was responded to within the target time. Delays in ambulance response times far exceed internationally accepted norms. Large areas of the country are regularly left without local ambulance cover. While paramedics do their utmost to provide a service to the highest international standards, it is impossible for them to do so within current budgets. It is essential that paramedics be properly resourced to carry out their work. I call tonight for the ambulance service to be appropriately resourced to provide a safe and efficient service nationally.

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