Jim Daly (Cork South West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I again thank the Senator and take his comments on board. As I pointed out, two memoranda of understanding were signed in September 2019. The benefits are only starting to emerge and that is ongoing.

Having been a Minister of State in the Department for a number of years, I have had occasion to visit many health service facilities and see the progress and in some instances the lack thereof.The Senator will trust my bona fides when it comes to making a judgment like this.

I recommend to any Member to visit the National Ambulance Service and meet its director, Mr. Martin Dunne. I do not have any skin in the game but my impression is that the it is one of the most progressive aspects of our health service. It is impressive to see how the reform agenda has taken hold and how the service has been modernised and extraordinarily progressive in the development of response-led services to meet the needs of the patient and improve response times. It is unfortunate that there will always be outliers and we will all hear stories about an ambulance that took an hour and 20 minutes to arrive. We do not hear the thousands of stories where ambulances or community response cars are typically available within a 20-minute response time in most areas they are deployed. The community response cars are fantastic and they have advanced paramedics. The Senator, as a doctor, will understand and appreciate that.

I genuinely suggest to Members with concerns about the National Ambulance Service that it is well worth going visiting its headquarters. I commend the service highly on the progressive, proactive, can-do approach that the director and the team have adopted under the reform agenda. I am proud of their achievements and Members who have the opportunity to visit them will also be. I thank the Senator for raising the issue.