David Norris (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I express my sadness at the death of former Deputy Peter Mathews who was a very decent man. He was a traditional old-style Roman Catholic but not in any narrow sense. He was always very friendly to me. I liked him and found him very helpful. When I spoke some years ago at the beginning of the financial crisis, he contacted me and said I was the only one who was speaking out and that I was the only one who was right in the debate. However, he noticed that there were no figures and asked why. I said I had been absolutely hopeless at arithmetic at school and had not improved. He supplied me with the figures and as a result in the Seanad I contradicted the then Minister for Finance, the late Brian Lenihan. His figures were completely wrong and the ones supplied to me by the late Peter Mathews in support of my arguments were correct to the last decimal point, which was an astonishing feat. He was a most brilliant economist, as well as a thoroughly decent man.

I also wish to raise, if it has not been raised already, the question of the Dublin Fire Brigade ambulance service. It is quite shocking that the head of Dublin City Council, Owen Keeg---- I am not allowed to mention his name - has decided to take steps to replace the fire brigade ambulance service with a general fire brigade warning. He wants to take the service to Tallaght, with a backup centre in Ballyshannon. The Dublin Fire Brigade ambulance service answers all 999 calls in Dublin, the rest of Leinster, as well as counties Cavan and Monaghan. It deals, for example, with people who need an epinephrine injection. We all remember the girl who tragically died because she could not get an epinephrine injection. The service deals with people who have had a heart attack or suffer a cardiac arrest, road traffic accidents and so on. If it is transferred to a national agency, there will definitely be delays. SIPTU members in Dublin Fire Brigade have been balloted and 97% have voted for strike action if this goes through. It is a really serious matter. It involves the Dublin city manager interfering again in a most stupid way. Seanad Éireann should have an opportunity to discuss the matter. I, therefore, ask the Leader to contact the responsible Minister on my behalf.