Jennifer Murnane O'Connor (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail)
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I appreciate the time given to me to discuss this matter. I have raised this issue over many years and frankly I am disappointed to have to do so again. I have a number of questions about an ambulance base in Carlow and look forward to a reply to them.

Some years ago, I was told that €350,000 was being allocated under the capital funding for the building of a fit-for-purpose ambulance base. I was recently told in a written reply that only €50,000 was allocated and spent. Where is the rest of the money? Has a health and safety audit been carried out on the ambulance base in Carlow? If not, why not? Before Covid, I visited the site on which the ambulance is based, which is in the grounds of St. Dympna's Hospital in Carlow town. Before these new restrictions I visited there again and discovered to my shock and horror that there is no fire escape, only one shower facility, no training facility, no contaminated workwear bay, no room for social distancing and no storage for equipment. I am not a health and safety officer but I know this cannot be right. Are there plans to ensure moneys allocated to this facility are being spent? Will a health and safety audit be carried out? Will the Department advise as to the timescale of such an audit or capital work to be undertaken?

I am very proud of the Carlow ambulance base staff members. There are wonderful people working tirelessly there, most especially in these difficult times. I have been working on this issue for years. The staff there are really frustrated because they know the small amount of money which was spent is still not enough to call it a fit-for-purpose base. They are operating out of a prefab with one shower. There is one shower and 18 staff. Men and women sharing one shower is very unsuitable. They do not have enough locker space and there is one computer between 18 staff, which is totally inadequate for online training. The store for their equipment is located some distance away, which, in an emergency, could cause a hazard at night if further restocking of vehicles were needed.

These good men and women are exposed daily to myriad health and safety issues and they only seek proper working facilities to keep them safe as they operate on the Covid-19 testing front line. Given the Covid-19 pandemic, our front-line staff should not be working in these conditions. However, even without Covid-19 they deserve better. A clap will not cut it and I implore the Minister of State, Deputy Feighan, to give it his immediate attention.

My understanding is that there are some vacant premises beside the existing ambulance prefab at St. Dympna's Hospital. Will these be considered as a suitable premises if a proper base cannot be tendered for in the current climate? The money allocated would surely suffice to bring these premises up to standard. I am thankful for the opportunity to speak on this and anxiously await the Minister of State's reply.

Frank Feighan (Sligo-Leitrim, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Deputy for raising the issue of the provision of the ambulance base located at the Carlow health services complex at St. Dympna's Hospital in Carlow town. The National Ambulance Service is the statutory pre-hospital emergency and intermediate care provider. It seeks to serve the needs of patients and the public as part of an integrated health system through the provision of high-quality, safe and patient-centred services. Carlow ambulance base is an integral part of the ambulance service and has four emergency ambulances on duty. The base is supported by the National Ambulance Service's resources from surrounding ambulance stations, including Baltinglass, Athy, Kilkenny, Portlaoise and Enniscorthy. Funding the National Ambulance Service is extremely important and in 2020 there was an increase of €3.5 million, or 2.1%, on the 2019. The capital spend on ambulance base facilities is prioritised by the National Ambulance Service to meet the requirements of the bases with the highest needs.

HSE estates confirmed remedial works to the value of approximately €50,000 were carried out at Carlow ambulance base to address works requirements to make the base fit for purpose. The HSE has confirmed to Department officials that the facilities at Carlow ambulance station are fit for purpose. The HSE advises that a safety audit of Carlow ambulance base was carried out on Monday, 19 October. It confirmed the base is kept in good order and that all health and safety requirements are being met. The ambulance officer in the south region advises that the National Ambulance Service operates a comprehensive safety management system across all its premises across the south and continues to work collaboratively with staff, HSE estates and external providers to ensure any concerns or issues that occur are dealt with as quickly as possible. Dynamic deployment of available resources operate on an area and national basis, rather than a county or geographical boundary basis to ensure optimum resource use as the nearest appropriate resource is mobilised to the location of the incident. The priority of dynamic deployment is patient health and welfare in the context of service delivery which means that resources cannot be confined by county boundaries, barriers or borders.

Jennifer Murnane O'Connor (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Minister of State for his reply, although I am confused by some of it. I welcome that a safety audit was carried out on 19 October. Is it the first audit or have they been done regularly? There are 18 excellent staff doing a great job. As we know, even with their extra duties, paramedics are going into houses and testing for Covid, particularly for people who cannot travel or are not able to leave their homes, so we cannot give them enough praise. However, I have been there and although I am not a health and safety officer, I have concerns about whether a prefab is really a proper base for 18 ambulance service paramedics in 2020.

I do not think a prefab is acceptable. My biggest concern, and I have said this to the HSE and to the Minister, is we have a fabulous building in St. Dympna's Hospital, which is beside the prefab. There are vacant rooms in the hospital and if the paramedics could be allowed into the two or three little rooms in St. Dympna's Hospital that are not being used it would be very good for the paramedics and it would be good for everybody.

When people work really hard, particularly in our front-line services, and we all know the work they are doing particularly during these times, it is important that they go back somewhere that is fit for purpose. I have to say I am a little bit taken aback by the reply but I will go back and try to get more information. The only thing I ask tonight is that the Minister of State goes back to the HSE to ask it for a small bit of money to get the paramedics into the small building in St. Dympna's. That would be very good progress.

Frank Feighan (Sligo-Leitrim, Fine Gael)
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I thank Deputy Murnane O'Connor for raising the issue of the ambulance base location in Carlow. The ambulance base in Carlow is an integral part of the National Ambulance Service. The capital spend is prioritised by the National Ambulance Service and I have been dealing with this situation over the years. Normally the National Ambulance Service has a say over county boundaries and it has a certain model that works. Works costing €50,000 were carried out at the ambulance base to make it fit for purpose, and I thank Deputy Murnane O'Connor for taking the time to visit it and see for herself the health and safety issues. Although we are not experts sometimes we have a view, and I am delighted to articulate that view to the HSE, the National Ambulance Service and the Minister. With regard to what the Deputy has said about the vacant rooms in St. Dympna's Hospital, it should be investigated as it is a reasonable suggestion. I will certainly bring it back.

As I said, a safety audit was carried out last Monday and I am not in a position to say how many safety audits have been done. It was confirmed that the base is in good order and all health and safety requirements are being met. I thank the Deputy for raising the issue and I will bring it back to the HSE, perhaps to investigate the opening of the vacant rooms in St. Dympna's Hospital as it is a reasonable suggestion.