Martin Conway (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Daly, to the Seanad and I congratulate him on his appointment, which in my view is well-deserved.

I rise today to raise the extremely important issue of management of the ambulance service. There has been a lot of media coverage in recent years, particularly in recent months, of the ambulance service in regard to response times, ambulance service provision in particular areas and the drafting of ambulances from one county to another owing to the lack of paramedics on duty at any given time, as a result of which patients are left exposed. Every year, many thousands of people visit County Clare. To say that the ambulance service in County Clare is poor is an under-statement. More often than not, paramedics are on sick leave and so on. As I said, there has been much media coverage on this issue.

I understand that a review has been undertaken of the management of the ambulance service. I think the review was carried out by Mazars but I am not 100% sure of that. I understand also that there are significant recommendations in the report in terms of the failings at management level within the ambulance service and what should be done and that this report was finalised some time ago but has not yet been published. I am asking the Minister of State to give a commitment today that if he and his officials have not yet had sight of the report, they will seek a copy of it and that it will be published. I am concerned that it has not been published because there is some retro-fitting going on in terms of management trying to implement the recommendations before the report is published.

The purpose of a review is to identify problems and shortcomings and what needs to be done to resolve them. Why would any organisation be afraid of publication of a critique of how it does its business? I am sure it cost a lot of money to produce the report. To allow it to remain on a shelf unpublished is unacceptable. As in the case of every other organ of the State, the ambulance service has a responsibility to be transparent. It is my contention that until such time as this report is published there will be a lack of transparency on the service. We all rely on a good, effective, efficient, fast responding ambulance service. Any of us could need it at any time. Many of our citizens need it on a daily basis but unfortunately their needs are not being met. Citizens do not have confidence in the ambulance service and, unfortunately, many of the people working on the ground within the service do not have confidence in it either.

If nothing else comes from this engagement other than that the report is published it will have been a good day's work.