Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank Deputy O'Reilly for her question and I wish her well in her appointment as her party's spokesperson on health. I look forward to the debates that we will have in the Chamber. I hope that we will be able to build on yesterday's establishment of a cross-party committee to devise a singular vision for the health service and work together.

Last month, at my request the HSE published the National Ambulance Service capacity review with an action plan for implementation that incorporated the recommendations of the capacity review and the 2014 Health Information and Quality Authority, HIQA, report on the National Ambulance Service. The capacity review makes it clear that we will need a significant programme of investment in our ambulance services. In this context, a planned investment in a multi-annual programme involving manpower, vehicles and technology is required. Additional funding of €7.2 million has been provided for the National Ambulance Service in 2016. As the Deputy will be aware, the programme for a partnership Government commits to an additional annual investment in terms of ambulance personnel and vehicles.

It should be noted regarding the action plan that a number of the reviews' key recommendations are already being undertaken as part of a significant programme of reform and modernisation of the National Ambulance Service that has been under way for several years. The programme has achieved many of its key targets, including the establishment of the national emergency operations centre and the creation of an integrated deployment platform that allows our ambulance service to operate as a national fleet rather than as regional divisions, the continued delivery of improved technology to improve response times, and the expansion of the community first responder scheme.

There is much more to do and the capacity review is a good roadmap, as is the action plan. My Department continues to engage with the National Ambulance Service regarding the latter's requirements and performance and I will do all that I can to ensure that the action plan is implemented.

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