Martin Conway (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I, too, welcome Lisa and Leah. Leah has been around Ennistymon in County Clare for the last couple of weeks. I have met her on a number of occasions. In spite of the inclement weather, she is enjoying herself. They are both very welcome to Leinster House.

I thank the Minister of State very much for coming in today to take this critical Commencement matter on behalf of the Minister for Health. Living in Sligo, he will know that rural Ireland is sometimes not best served when it comes to the golden hour. As he also knows, getting to hospital within the golden hour is critical for people who find themselves having suffered a stroke, a heart attack or some other medical emergency of similar significance. The Minister of State knows west Clare as well as I do because he has often been there in both his current capacity and in his previous capacity as Minister of State. He knows that, if you are living on Loop Head or in Kilkee, you are an hour from Ennis, before you even get to head towards Limerick.

University Hospital Limerick, UHL, is catering for a population in excess of 400,000 people and there is only one consultant-led emergency department in the area that runs on a 24-hour basis. We all know and have read the horror stories coming out of UHL every week. I am certainly fully aware of them. I acknowledge the work that has been done to improve things in Limerick and the announcement by the Minister for Health in recent weeks that there is going to be a completely new hospital built, which will be co-located with UHL and will have its own emergency department. That is extremely welcome.

I am a realist. I know that we are not going to have 24-hour consultant-led accident and emergency services in Ennis. As much as I would love to say that should happen and will happen, I know it will not. However, there is an alternative, which is to put a helicopter base in west Clare. The HSE operates two helicopter services through the helicopter emergency medical service, HEMS. One is based in Athlone and the other is based in Cork. I also know that the Coast Guard provides very useful support to the National Ambulance Service in dealing with emergencies, particularly along the coast of County Clare. It deals with everything from tragedies off the Cliffs of Moher or off Doolin to providing back-up and support when there is a significant medical emergency.

I know there are plans for a third HSE-run National Ambulance Service-specific helicopter base. I would like it to be located in west Clare. There are plans for a base to cover the west and mid-west. I suggest that our situation is unique in that the distance from Kilkee, Kilrush and the west Clare hinterland to an already overcrowded emergency department is probably the most challenging in the country. On that basis and on the basis that we are not going to see a second emergency department in the region for a number of years, this third base should be in Kilrush, Kilkee or somewhere in that area. It would serve Kerry, Clare, Galway and up to Sligo, Mayo and Donegal because helicopters travel fast. In speaking on previous occasions, I have leaned on the geographical inequalities that exist. When people live in remote places, we have a duty of care to them and must ensure they have the same access as people in urban areas.I will conclude by commending the work being done by the first responders and the Coast Guard. I know at first hand the excellent work they do and I want to put that on record.