Derek Keating (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State for her reply and take special note of the fact that the new arrangements mean that the people of Dublin will get a better ambulance service. She made reference to delays, which are clearly a resource issue. It is my understanding that the DFB was allocated one additional ambulance during a period of approximately 20 years. I may stand corrected, but that is my understanding. The population has increased and the numbers of calls has increased exponentially without a corresponding increase in required resources. The broader problem is that while these arguments rage, lives can often be put at risk. It is my understanding that both the DFB and the NAS are committed to their respective roles.

I welcome the recent announcement by the Dublin city manager that a forum will be created to discuss these issues. Many welcomed the statement by the Minister for Health recently in which he committed to discussion on this matter. It is important to take into account the views of stakeholders, the workforce, service users and, of course, the citizens of Dublin. These views need to be gauged before any step is taken.

The truth needs to be made clear. We should not throw the baby out with the bathwater. After all, 80% of DFB ambulance responses are within the HIQA standard of seven minutes and 59 seconds. We should not overlook that. It is likely that it is one of the best performers in the country. The response time, supplemented by the ability to dispatch a fire attender fully staffed by paramedics, is not something we can lightly afford to lose.

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