Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

There are two accounts of the ambulance issue. It would be worthwhile and give comfort to the family if somebody independent were to investigate it, to talk to the family privately and talk through exactly what happened because there are lessons to be learned. This is happening everywhere. There are ambulance delays all over the country; we just do not hear about them, but we all experience them.

This morning the Minister of State at the Department of Health, Deputy Kathleen Lynch, used the word "chaos" about emergency services. It is the beginning of November and the delays and pressures arising in emergency departments normally do not surface until December or January. Mr. Liam Woods, national director for acute hospitals at the Health Service Executive, mentioned preparing and putting a winter plan in place.

Winter is here and its results can be seen in our accident and emergency units every night of the week now, not just at weekends. It seems to be continually pushed down the line, with people saying, "It is not our problem". The emergency task force has been branded a failure by the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation, even though nurses were at the heart of it. They are now balloting for a strike. The people on whom we depend for our emergency service have no confidence in the task force and are planning a strike and one of the Ministers in charge uses the term "chaotic" in respect of it. When is the Government going to take specific action to avoid these delays? They should not be happening at any time of the year but especially early in the winter when there is no pressure on the system in terms of colds, flu and other winter illnesses. How many more people are going to be left on trolleys for hours on end?

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