Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy for raising this issue because we all depend on the ambulance service. Many of us have cause to be very appreciative of the commitment and service those working in it provide.

I can give the Deputy an absolute assurance that we are committed to the air ambulance service. Not only that, new ambulance bases were recently opened in Mulranny and Tuam. We are also committed to improving and expanding the number of paramedic training places and numbers to support the growing demand on the ambulance service.

I am aware of the report to which the Deputy referred. There is no doubt that there has been a difficulty in retaining staff in the air corps. As the Deputy knows, the recent pay commission established by the Government recommended a pilot retention scheme which, I understand, has been accepted by RACO. We now have the basis for moving forward to tackle the issue of retention in the air corps.

I am conscious that this is an area where the private sector has boomed in recent years. There is significant international pressure in respect of the demand for pilots, which has undoubtedly been a challenge. The introduction of this scheme will be a very useful tool in the hands of the Defence Forces to ensure we can maintain the staffing levels required to meet all needs.

I am pleased to be in a position to confirm the commitment of the Government to the air services and to work with the Defence Forces to meet the challenges they face. I am also conscious that we have to meet the demands of different segments of the public service in an integrated context. It is important that the Minister has used the pay commission to identify areas such as this where there are acute pressures and we can move to resolve issues such as the manning of ambulance services by having a dedicated policy instrument on the pay front to respond to those particular pressures, while maintaining the integrity of overall pay policy.

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