Terry Leyden (Fianna Fail)

I ask the Leader to arrange for the Minister for Health, Deputy James Reilly, to come to the House to discuss health matters and to have a question and answer session on it which is always useful.

The new emergency aeromedical service commenced operation on 4 June. It is a pilot scheme based at Custume Barracks, Athlone. It is a national ambulance service and this is the first time it has been introduced. The service responded to a young lady who had a farm accident in Castleplunkett, Castlerea, on Monday and she was brought to University College Hospital, Galway, within approximately 30 minutes of the helicopter being summoned. It has been extremely useful and initially it has proved to be very successful but it is no substitute for the active accident and emergency department we had in Roscommon County Hospital. It is all very well having accident and emergency departments in Portiuncula, Castlebar, Mullingar, Tullamore and Galway but the excellent accident and emergency department we had in Roscommon was a far better service where an ambulance brought a patient to the hospital rather than having to rely even on an air ambulance service which can be called in emergencies. The provision of an air ambulance service and accident and emergency department plus the ambulance service is an excellent combination and I commend Minister, Deputy Reilly, on bringing it forward with the Minister, Deputy Shatter, in Custume Barracks, Athlone, even though its launch was very secretive. Nevertheless, that is fine as it is operating now.