Anne Rabbitte (Galway East, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I am taking this Topical Issue matter on behalf of the Minister, Deputy Donnelly, in response to the need for additional funding to sustain the Irish Community Air Ambulance service. I welcome the opportunity to address the House on behalf of the Minister in this regard.

The National Ambulance Service, encompassing the emergency aeromedical service, operates the helicopter emergency medical service, HEMS, in Ireland. The service operates in conjunction with the Irish Air Corps from Custume Barracks, Athlone, and the charitably funded HEMS operated by the Irish Community Air Ambulance, ICAA. The Irish Coast Guard provides additional support on an as-available basis under a service level agreement with the HSE.

The Irish Community Air Ambulance is a charity-funded HEMS that has operated since July 2019 under a service level agreement with the HSE. Under the terms of this agreement, the ICAA committed to fund all maintenance, repairs, fuel and other expenses incurred in the provision of the transportation element of the HEMS, while the National Ambulance Service committed to providing the clinical staff and all medical consumables.

In early March of this year, the ICAA advised of serious financial difficulties. To provide funding to ensure the continued operation of the ICAA, it was necessary that the issue of state aid was addressed with the European Commission and that a procurement process to procure the long-term service was commenced as a matter of urgency. To ensure state aid rules were complied with, the Government gave approval to notify the European Commission of an intention to establish a scheme to safeguard the provision of charity-funded HEMS under the European Commission's Covid-19 temporary framework for state aid. This framework provides that temporary limited amounts of aid may be allocated to undertakings experiencing liquidity difficulties due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

The Commission gave approval last week to the establishment of this scheme, and in line with direction from the Department of Health, the National Ambulance Service will now establish and administer the scheme. The National Ambulance Service is engaging with the ICAA regarding the ongoing provision of funding under the scheme. The HSE has also begun a procurement process to ensure the ongoing provision of HEMS in the south west on a sustainable basis. A recent request for tender went live last month and the tendering process is currently progressing. As such, it would be inappropriate for me to comment further at this time.

I reassure the House that the Government is strongly committed to supporting the strengthening and reform of the National Ambulance Service, including in the area of aeromedical services. The allocation of an unprecedented €200 million to the National Ambulance Service in 2022, which includes €8.23 million for new service developments, is clear evidence of this commitment. This funding will help the National Ambulance Service to continue its transformation from an emergency medical service into a highly adaptable and responsive mobile medical service.

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