Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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984. To ask the Minister for Health if his attention has been drawn to the fact that the hospitals in the Saolta group are hiring private ambulances for after hours patient transfer call outs rather than using the available national ambulance service ambulances; the reason for this; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37502/17]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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The National Ambulance Service (NAS) currently manages emergency and intermediate care transport services. Responsibility for the provision of non-emergency patient transport service provision transferred from the NAS to individual service providers such as Hospital Groups and Community Health Organisations in 2012 to better facilitate local decision making with regard to providing for patients needs.

In response to the particular query raised, as this is a service matter, I have asked the HSE to respond to you directly.