Alan Kelly (Labour)

I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Devins, to the House. All emergency services should be given our fullest support. I am concerned, however, that inadequate resources are being allocated to the ambulance service. In recent weeks, several persons working in the ambulance service have contacted me to raise their concerns in this regard.

Since the imposition of an embargo on the recruitment of staff by the HSE and the associated cutbacks, a situation has arisen where the ambulance service is engaged in ferrying patients between hospitals. At Nenagh Hospital, for example, there is a cap of 75 on patient numbers and the 76th person is ferried into Limerick. The ambulance service is obliged to ferry patients in this way while also being available to deal with emergencies. Those operating the control room of the ambulance service are thus placed in a difficult situation.

The ambulance service is there to deal with emergencies but, because of the embargo, it is effectively functioning as a taxi service because patients are not being accepted in their regional hospital of choice. This is a serious and lamentable development. It could be a matter of life and death if ambulance service staff are unable to attend the scene of an accident in good time because they are engaged in taxi services.

The ambulance service is under great pressure. In Nenagh, one ambulance is available from 4 p.m. until 8 a.m. daily. This is simply not good enough. Likewise, only one ambulance is available to serve Roscrea and Thurles. If a serious accident were to occur in Nenagh, the cover is not there to cope because of the pressure on the ambulance service to ferry patients between hospitals.

The ambulance service is meant to carry two emergency medical technicians, EMTs, who operate the ambulances. A number of patrols do not have two of these EMTs and in two scenarios I know of in the mid-west, there is a nurse on board. These personnel are doing their best but the situation is unacceptable, as EMTs are specifically trained in protocols and techniques with regard to roadside emergency scenarios etc. Will the Minister of State explain why this is happening and what will be done about it?

Training programmes for advanced paramedics were promised, with one such paramedic operating in each ambulance station per shift. In reality, between 240 and 320 advanced paramedics are needed in the country, given there are 80 stations. Where are these located, as I understand the training programme is way behind schedule? As a result of the embargo, a number of these trained advanced paramedics are moving into private health care.

Ambulance personnel are working long hours. The chairman of the Ambulance Association of Ireland, Pat Hanafin, recently stated that many are tired and some ambulance services are not being manned because of issues relating to rosters, sick leave and working hours that are too long. It is dangerous for us not to have the required personnel to run the service.

Will the Minister of State clarify the matter of new ambulances being brought in by the HSE? I understand a quantity is on order, which I welcome. There is an EU directive on the standard of ambulance that should be used and I look forward to their introduction into service. An issue exists, however, and I hope it will not provide a "Port Tunnel" moment for the Government. The new ambulances are to be one-stretcher ambulances and because we have two-stretcher ambulances currently in operation we require twice the amount of ambulances to meet capacity. We also need twice the number of personnel to man those ambulances. Is the Government fully aware of this matter and if so, will it guarantee the required resources of ambulances and personnel will be available?

I also wish to raise the state of ambulance stations. In a number of cases these stations are in a very good state, with one in my own constituency in Roscrea being a state-of-the-art facility. In the same constituency there is a more ugly case, with the ambulance station in Thurles at times in a ridiculous state because of dampness and infestation. That is not good enough in this day and age.

Ambulance personnel need our full support and we are only too aware, as legislators, how important these people are in conjunction with other emergency services. The events in Bray in recent months confirm this. We should support these people fully and I ask the Minister of State to ensure the Government does this by answering the queries I have brought to the House.

The support given should not relate to the HSE being run by budget instead of demand. Such a system would take these people for granted, which should not happen because they provide such an important service to all of us.