Bríd Smith (Dublin South Central, People Before Profit Alliance)
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150. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government if his attention has been drawn to the current plans of Dublin City Council regarding the provision of the emergency ambulance call-out services as provided by the Dublin Fire Brigade; his views on such plan; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7960/17]

Bríd Smith (Dublin South Central, People Before Profit Alliance)
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151. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government if he or his Department has been briefed on any proposed change by the Dublin city manager to the current operation of the emergency ambulance call out service as provided by the Dublin Fire Brigade. [7961/17]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 150 and 151 together.

In terms of fire safety and the provision of fire services, in my role as Minister I am primarily concerned to ensure that local authorities are meeting their obligations in respect of their statutory fire service and fire safety responsibilities. These responsibilities include the important activity of community and other fire safety initiatives. The provision of health services in Ireland, including the provision of ambulance services, is the responsibility of the Health Service Executive (HSE), operating under the remit of my colleague, the Minister for Health.

I am aware that a number of reports have been delivered in recent years dealing with aspects of the ambulance services, both nationally and in the Dublin area, including, for example, a 2014 report from the Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) making recommendations to improve patient safety, which should, of course, be at the centre of all deliberations on this matter. While this issue is not within my direct remit, due to the interaction between the operation of the ambulance services and fire services in Dublin, my Department has engaged with Dublin City Council and the Department of Health in relation to arrangements for the provision by Dublin Fire Brigade of an emergency ambulance service as part of the HSE’s emergency medical services in the capital. My Department also met with SIPTU recently to hear staffing interests’ concerns in relation to these same matters.

While the provision of ambulance services is a very important aspect of the work carried out by Dublin Fire Brigade currently, their primary statutory responsibilities continue to be in the area of fire safety and the provision of fire services. Any work undertaken by local authorities on behalf of another sector should be on the basis of cost recoupment to the local government sector and, insofar as the provision of ambulance services by Dublin Fire Brigade is concerned, the priority focus must be on ensuring that this is provided for in appropriately-commissioned, inter-service working arrangements based on the highest standards of clinical and operational governance. My Department will continue to engage with the Department of Health and Dublin City Council in this regard.

By placing the citizen in need of medical services at the centre of considerations and with flexibility from all the stakeholders concerned, I am confident that robust arrangements can be put in place to ensure that appropriate fire and ambulance services continue to be provided for the citizens of Dublin.