Jennifer Murnane O'Connor (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I am disappointed with the Minister of State's reply. In regard to ambulance services, the people of Carlow have had delays in their ambulance services because as the Minister of State is aware, all ambulance calls are now managed through the central ambulance and emergency operations centre, which is supposed to ensure that the most urgent calls get the highest priority response, regardless of the location of the ambulance vehicles or bases. That is a problem as Carlow does not have an emergency response support because our local hospital is in Kilkenny. We do not have a fit-for-purpose building. There are issues within the ambulance services. We need more ambulances, or we need the two that are based there not to actually leave the county. There is absolutely no commitment in the Minister of State's reply other than saying that the HSE is looking at a site in Kelvin Grove and that it is possible that it could happen. This is unacceptable. This is going on for years. We have ambulance paramedics in Carlow in a prefab, in 2022. I am raging. This needs to be sorted as urgently as possible. My understanding is that a list is being done on ambulance bases, seemingly numbered one to ten, on which Carlow is number two on the list. That is not good enough. I ask the Minister of State to go to the Minister, Deputy Stephen Donnelly, as I will. I will be going to the Taoiseach. I want a firm commitment from the National Ambulance Service, the HSE and the Minister that we are going to get the build in Kelvin Grove. There is another building going on Kelvin Grove, that is right. My understanding is that it is at design stage at the moment but we need to get this building. It is unacceptable that in 2022 we have the best of ambulance paramedics in Carlow and they are in a prefab. It is unacceptable. I am disappointed in the Minister of State's reply.

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