Christopher O'Sullivan (Cork South West, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State. It is important that he mentioned the Government-funded air ambulance helicopter service. It is an extraordinary service, which ran on voluntary donations and charity fundraising for years. It is important that the Government is now backing it because without it we would be in dire straits. Even with that addition, it is still not enough. There are still parts of west Cork that are not being served properly by an ambulance service. We need to bolster the service. We need extra ambulances and staff.

I want to thank, from the bottom of my heart, the staff of the ambulance service for their extraordinary commitment and passion. However, they are experiencing burnout and are stressed and under severe pressure as a result of the workload and the lack of support and personnel.

That is why what I request is so important. I am not sure whether the Minister of State has the answer today but I would love one as quickly as possible on when the full-time ambulance with eight personnel announced for Bantry during the summer will be in place. Have the personnel been recruited? When can we expect to see the new ambulance up and running? I thank the Minister of State.

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