Barry Cowen (Offaly, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Ceann Comhairle's office for allowing me to raise this issue today.

I raised this matter in February 2012 when, at that time, there was great fear and worry on the part of staff and the general public in the Edenderry, north Offaly, Kildare, Meath and Westmeath areas regarding the ambulance service. The worry centred on the working conditions associated with the ambulance facility which was housed at that time on the grounds of Ofalia House, a HSE community care facility for the elderly and the sick in Edenderry. Despite the fears and worries the interested parties worked to the best of their ability over time but earlier this year HIQA announced that the facility could no longer be used for that purpose. The ambulance service was forced to relocate to Tullamore on the understanding that the relevant works would be carried out at the Ofalia House facility and the service would return to Edenderry within three months.

Thankfully, on foot of concerns raised by me, many other public representatives and the public, the HSE located a site which is close to the fire station in Edenderry and planning permission for a new ambulance facility was granted earlier this year. After the relocation to Tullamore, there was a fear on the part of staff and people living in the locality that if temporary accommodation was made available within three months, the commitment to provide a new, purpose-built facility might not be honoured. All of the public representatives in the area took up the case, including the Deputy opposite, Deputy Marcella Corcoran Kennedy, I am glad to say. We sought assurances from the National Ambulance Service and the HSE that the new facility would be forthcoming in order to be able to reassure the public and the staff. We have received various items of correspondence, including from the assistant chief ambulance officer of the HSE to myself in response to a Parliamentary Question submitted at the end of October and from Mr. Martin Dunne, the director of the National Ambulance Service, to myself, local Deputies and councillors. A meeting was held with local public representatives six weeks ago, at which more detailed information was provided. At that meeting, Deputy Marcella Corcoran Kennedy, who is a Minister of State in the Department of Health, confirmed what was contained in the briefing documentation.

The confirmation was that not only would temporary accommodation be forthcoming in the near future because a site had been identified, as was detailed through some of the correspondence that was made available to us, but more importantly, a firm commitment was given that action would be taken on foot of the granting of planning permission for a new purpose-built facility. I am taking the opportunity to raise this issue by means of a Topical Issue so that the public can be assured once and for all that given the commitments of the HSE and the National Ambulance Service and the fact planning permission has been forthcoming and a site for temporary accommodation has been identified, that this will be forthcoming and made available and that we can get a commitment that the new facility will start construction in the very near future. If a date was forthcoming, it would allay everybody's fears and allow people to get on with their work. In respect of the locality and community of north Offaly, west Kildare, south-east Westmeath and part of Meath and its close proximity to the N4, it is of pivotal importance in respect of responses to emergencies as they arise. I am glad the Minister of State with responsibility in the Department of Health is here so she can assure the House and, by extension, those we represent that this will be resolved forthwith.

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