Seán Fleming (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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131. To ask the Minister for Health if his attention has been drawn to the concerns expressed by the Irish Fire and Emergency Services in respect of the introduction of post codes in spring 2015; the discussions he has had with the Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources in respect of same; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42352/14]

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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The National Ambulance Service (NAS) is currently engaged in a process of modernising and reconfiguring its services. This is to ensure that pre-hospital emergency care is delivered in an appropriate and timely manner. This process includes using modern technology to improve service delivery. Any developments which enable the NAS to respond more quickly to patients in emergency situations are to be welcomed.

The new postal codes will assist in directing emergency resources to patients. Where the caller is in an area with a new postal code, the code will be entered into the Computer-Aided Dispatch system and the dispatcher will then activate the nearest available ambulance resource to the patient. Where no code is available - for example, in areas such as mountains, open land or beaches - the NAS will, as currently, establish the location from the caller and dispatch the nearest resource.

As postal address codes will provide definitive information on the location of a patient, this will assist in the deployment of emergency responses. The NAS therefore looks forward to the implementation of these codes.