Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I want to see investment in the public ambulance service and a reduction in reliance on private ambulance services. The Lightfoot report on capacity states that, even if we put in place all the extra ambulances and all the extra paramedics, we will still not have adequate provision in this country because of the geographic dispersal of our population. We need to invest in the national ambulance service and to provide it with more funding. This is why we are investing an extra €3 million in 2017, the details of which will be set out in the HSE service plan, but there are issues involved in supporting this service. Using private ambulances for non-urgent cases has a role to play and I want to keep our national ambulance service on the road to answer the urgent 999 and 112 calls.

The Dublin fire brigade brought up an important matter regarding how it is funded and I am due to receive a report on it, probably at the end of this year. I will have conversations with the Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government in this regard as Dublin City Council currently funds it.

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