Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance) | Oireachtas source

I note the poor oppressed Government backbenchers are getting plenty of opportunities to speak today. As of tomorrow, they will have half the time to raise important issues like our response to storms, despite the Taoiseach's claims that he is standing up for their rights.

One group that we will not be able to talk about as much is the ambulance drivers of the National Ambulance Service, who are critical to responding to emergencies. Storm Éowyn and the Covid pandemic should be warnings about having the capacity to respond to emergencies where lives can be at risk. Before Storm Éowyn, I met representatives of the National Ambulance Service. These workers said that Ireland had about half the ambulance cover that Scotland, which has a similar population, had and that there were not enough paramedics, so even if ambulances got there in time, they did not have the paramedics to deal with incidents. There are also threats to the helicopter emergency medical service arising from a lack of staffing and to the emerging threat team due to a lack of funding and staffing being provided by the Government. Will the Taoiseach engage with the representatives of the National Ambulance Service and their unions? This service provides the emergency services. Will he ensure it has the proper funding, staffing, infrastructure and cover to save lives when we have emergencies?

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