John O'Mahony (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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Question 225: To ask the Minister for Health and Children the cost to the Health Service Executive of the ambulance service in Dublin provided by Dublin City Council; her views on whether it is value for money; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [36911/08]

Mary Harney (Dublin Mid West, Progressive Democrats)
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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. I am committed to ensuring that ambulance services throughout the country are both safe and effective and that they provide value for money. 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.

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.

Operational responsibility for the management and delivery of health and personal social services is a matter for the Health Service Executive and funding for all services, including ambulance services, has been provided as part of its overall Vote. Therefore, the Executive is the appropriate body to advise the Deputy on the cost of the service provided on its behalf by Dublin City Council. My Department has requested the Parliamentary Affairs Division of the Executive to arrange to have a reply issued directly to the Deputy.