Pat Buckley (Cork East, Sinn Fein)
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31. To ask the Minister for Health his views on the ongoing issues with the ambulance service in Midleton, County Cork; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12038/17]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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The National Ambulance Service (NAS) is committed to providing a quality ambulance service to the Midleton area. Work is underway to relocate the Midleton station to a more suitable location in Midleton with direct access to the road infrastructure transport arteries. This move is scheduled for the second quarter of this year. I am advised that the current station will remain in operation until the new station opens.

The Deputy may wish to note that, services to the Midleton area are not exclusively provided by staff based at the Midleton station. NAS is moving to a policy of dynamic deployment, where vehicles are strategically located where they are most likely to be required, rather than located at a particular station. Under this policy of dynamic deployment, Midleton is supported by other NAS ambulance bases in East Cork, Cork City, West Waterford and South Tipperary, and resources are dispatched using the Advanced Medical Priority Dispatch System (AMPDS). The AMPDS uses international standards and protocols to determine the priority level of each emergency call which ensures life threatening situations receive an immediate and appropriate response.