Seán Haughey (Dublin Bay North, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State for her response. This situation is becoming urgent. As I mentioned, there are indications that ballots are about to take place regarding strike action because of the inadequate ambulance service in the Dublin area. It comes back to the question of who provides the ambulance service. I speak this evening in defence of the Dublin Fire Brigade. It has been providing an excellent service. Dubliners are very proud of that service. It has a great tradition and its staff have great skills. I believe that is under threat. The chief executive of Dublin City Council, Mr. Owen Keegan, says that he wants no more to do with the governance of the Dublin Fire Brigade. He wants to hand the whole thing over, lock, stock and barrel, to the HSE. That would be a disaster. If we asked Dubliners who should run the fire and ambulance services, they certainly would not say the HSE. There is not much confidence in the HSE generally. As the saying goes, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it." There are certainly problems that have to be addressed, but they can be addressed.

I want to come back to the issue of clinical governance. The previous Minister for Health, Deputy Varadkar, stated that it was the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government, as it was then, that had responsibility for the Dublin ambulance service. Despite this, the Minister of State at the Department of Health is here this evening answering my questions and all my parliamentary questions were transferred to the Minister for Health. We need clarity on that. There are European court decisions in this regard which clearly state a role for the Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government. I also want an assurance on consultation. No consultation took place between the staff and the unions on the HSE and Dublin City Council review. It is a recipe for disaster. There must be consultation with the elected members, the staff involved and the trade unions before any changes are contemplated, and not as a fait accompli. There must be consultation on this now.

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