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

We, on this side of the House, extend our sincere sympathies to the family of Annmarie O'Brien and her daughter, Paris, on their tragic deaths in the fire in Clondalkin yesterday. We also extend our condolences to the family of Holly and Jordan, the other two children to die in the horrific fire. We pray that their mother, Biddy O'Brien, will fully recover from her injuries. The Garda and the Dublin Fire Brigade are continuing their investigations and it is in everybody's interests that the cause of the fire be established as soon as possible.

Dublin Fire Brigade provides emergency ambulance services in the Dublin city and county area by arrangement with Dublin City Council and the National Ambulance Service. Dublin Fire Brigade has a proud tradition of providing this fire-based ambulance service in the capital. International best practice indicates that combining fire, rescue and emergency medical services greatly improves the response to a crisis. In the Dublin Fire Brigade, 830 firefighters are trained paramedics in a position to provide immediate emergency medical assistance and the benefits of this integrated service are obvious to everyone. The chief executive of Dublin City Council, Owen Keegan, has stated he wishes to see a transfer of all call taking and dispatching of ambulances to the national control centre in Tallaght. He stated this was the view of the chief executives of the other local authorities, although it is not agreed by the councillors in those local authorities.

The HIQA report raised concerns about the operation of two ambulance services in the Dublin area and called for enhanced integration of service provision. It is clear, therefore, that co-ordination and integration between the Dublin Fire Brigade and the National Ambulance Service is required. Significant investment is also needed in the fire brigade and ambulance capacity in the Dublin area. Investment is needed in ambulances, personnel, vehicles and technology. Last Saturday, rallies took place at all the fire brigade centres throughout Dublin, which demonstrated the support for the retention of the ambulance service by Dublin Fire Brigade. Impact and SIPTU have called off strike action, following the intervention of Kieran Mulvey.

Does the Tánaiste agree that the ambulance service should be retained in Dublin City Council? The expert panel published its report in 2015 and made recommendations for the future of the ambulance service. This provides a mechanism for co-ordination and governance. I hope the relevant Ministers will deal with the issue once and for all. It has been dragging on for too long and we need action.

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