Brian Lenihan Jnr (Dublin West, Fianna Fail)

I take this matter on behalf of my colleague, the Tánaiste and Minister for Health and Children, Deputy Harney. I thank Senator Dooley for raising the issue. Under the Health Act 2004, the Health Service Executive, HSE, has the responsibility to manage and deliver, or arrange to be delivered on its behalf, health and personal social services. This includes responsibility for the provision of ambulance services.

There have been a number of developments in the HSE mid-western area ambulance service in recent years. With regard to the upgrading of the ambulance service at Scarriff, the HSE has advised that a new ambulance base commenced operations in the town in June 2003. The new base allowed the executive to increase the number of emergency medical technicians employed from two to six. This reduced the amount of on-call cover from 55 hours to 16 hours per week, resulting in a more efficient and effective response to patient needs. The HSE mid-western region has included a request for funding to fully eliminate on-call service in its service plan 2005 and its recently completed development plan for the ambulance service. Requests for ambulance service developments are being considered by the HSE in the context of its priority requirements for 2006.

The HSE mid-western area has four ambulance stations in County Clare. The Shannon area is traditionally serviced from Limerick and Ennis. In the development plan for the ambulance service, the HSE mid-western area takes into account the future service requirements for the region and it proposes the establishment of a new ambulance station for the Shannon area. Other developments in the HSE mid-western area include the upgrading of the command and control centre in Limerick, which opened in May 2004, and the extension and refurbishment of the ambulance base in Ennis in March 2005. Additional funding was provided in 2005 to complete the implementation of two-person crewing in the region.

Much has been achieved in the development of the service, although I recognise that much remains to be done. It is essential to maintain the progress that has been made and to continue the process of service development so that effective pre-hospital emergency care is accessible to those who need it most, when and where it is required. I realise this is not the first occasion on which Senator Dooley has raised the question in the House of ambulance provision in east County Clare. The Minister is committed to working towards the improvements the Senator is anxious to see realised in this area.