Michael Murphy (Tipperary South, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Leas-Cheann Comhairle. I also pay tribute to former councillor Joe Bourke, from Templemore, who passed away this evening. I had Joe Bourke here in Leinster House a number of weeks ago. Unfortunately, Joe had not been well. I had the distinction of serving with Joe on Tipperary County Council and on the Southern Regional Assembly. He was a man of exceptional traits and character and a real positive force within his community. I am thinking of his family and extended family this evening.

On 10 February, managers at the National Ambulance Service were instructed not to bring their staff vehicles home out of hours until a dispute over benefit-in-kind had been resolved. That particular instruction was confirmed by the Health Service Executive in a statement:

The HSE must comply with Revenue Commissioner regulations in relation to what in this case is the potential personal use of publicly owned vehicles. All HSE employees are covered by these rules. The HSE National Ambulance Service has identified that the number of incidents responded to by vehicle users outside of working hours is minimal.

The statement concluded, "As a public body, the HSE cannot support the use of publicly owned emergency vehicles for purposes that the Revenue Commissioner considers potential personal use or benefit."

I do not think there is any doubt these National Ambulance Service managers are heroes at the local level. Put very simply, they save lives. These are fully equipped and marked emergency vehicles. Such vehicles are not a luxury, and in the context of my intervention, they are not a benefit-in-kind. Our National Ambulance Service managers are not just first responders, they play a crucial role in critical incident operation, planning and management. I also acknowledge the many first responders, members of more than 200 community groups who volunteer and make themselves available in the event of a sudden cardiac arrest.

Every effort must be made to find a resolution between senior management of the HSE and the director of the National Ambulance Service. This decision, if implemented, may lead to National Ambulance Service managers no longer being in a position to rapidly respond to calls out of hours when required. Lives could potentially be lost. I am calling on the Minister to personally intervene with the Revenue Commissioners to give urgent clarity that benefit-in-kind does not apply when it comes to emergency vehicles that are fully equipped and fully marked.

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