Joe Costello (Dublin Central, Labour)
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Question 88: To ask the Minister for Health and Children the reason there are two public ambulance services in Dublin; if a single service would be more effective; if savings would result that could be spent on acquiring more ambulances; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [36685/08]

Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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Question 94: To ask the Minister for Health and Children the reason her Department continues to pay a local authority (details supplied) in County Dublin for the operation of an ambulance service which duplicates the Health Service Executive service already in existence; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [36299/08]

Ciarán Lynch (Cork South Central, Labour)
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Question 99: To ask the Minister for Health and Children if she will confirm there are two ambulance services covering the city of Dublin, one operated by Dublin City Council and the other operated by the Health Service Executive and that the HSE pays Dublin City Council in excess of €10 million to provide a service in competition with the HSE service; if she will further confirm that the competing services do not have an integrated communication system and that frequently two ambulances arrive at an incident at which only one is required; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [36339/08]

Michael D Higgins (Galway West, Labour)
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Question 104: To ask the Minister for Health and Children the reason, in view of budget 2009 and cuts in Government spending, Dublin City Council continues to be paid in excess of €10 million per annum to operate 11 ambulances in the city of Dublin on behalf of the Health Service Executive, when she has at her disposal the HSE national ambulance service that could operate the 999 system in Dublin at less cost; her views on same and the fact that, effectively, there are two ambulance services in Dublin competing with each other with no communications system leading to inefficiencies and duplication. [36364/08]

Mary Upton (Dublin South Central, Labour)
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Question 105: To ask the Minister for Health and Children if she is satisfied with the arrangement for the provision of ambulance services in the Dublin City Council area; if it is the case that there is a separate Dublin city ambulance service as well as a National Ambulance Service; her views on whether this duplication represents value for money; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [36365/08]

Mary Harney (Dublin Mid West, Progressive Democrats)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 88, 94, 99, 104 and 105 together.

For many years Dublin City Council, through Dublin Fire Brigade, has provided the emergency ambulance service in Dublin City on behalf of the statutory health authorities. The relevant authority since 2005 is the Health Service Executive. The HSE provides mainly the non-emergency patient transport in the Dublin area under the auspices of its National Ambulance Service. It is not correct to say that the HSE and DFB services operate in competition, or that one service simply duplicates the other.

I am committed to ensuring that ambulance services throughout the country are both safe and effective. The arrangements in the Dublin area have been in place for many years. There are potential benefits to be gained from a close alignment of ambulance and fire services, as occurs in Dublin. Equally, a case can be made for applying the model that operates in the rest of the country, where ambulance services are provided separately from the fire service.

Safety is, of course, the primary concern. For this reason, work is at present being undertaken by the health and local government sectors to consider the best long-term approach to the provision of emergency ambulance services in Dublin. This includes examination of the potential for improved efficiency in the delivery of these services, to ensure that the best value for money is obtained.