Niamh Smyth (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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324. To ask the Minister for Health the status of his commitment to increase ambulances, EMTs and paramedics each year with a view to improve response times as set out in the programme for Government; if he will detail the increase in each to date in 2017 in counties Cavan and in Monaghan and the way in which response times have improved in the counties. [48016/17]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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A significant reform programme is underway in pre-hospital emergency care to reconfigure the management and delivery of pre-hospital services, for a clinically driven, nationally co-ordinated system, supported by technology and data. This reform is taking place against the backdrop of the HIQA review of ambulance services (2014, 2017) and the NAS Capacity Review (2016).

The Capacity Review makes it clear that a very significant programme of investment in our ambulance services is needed. In that context, a phased investment in a multi-annual programme involving manpower, vehicles and technology is required. The Programme for Partnership Government commits to additional annual investment in terms of ambulance, personnel and vehicles. €7.2m additional funding was provided in 2016 including €2m development funding. An additional sum of €3.6m was made available in 2017 which included €1m to fund new developments. I am happy to confirm that increased funding will be made available for the continued development of the National Ambulance Service in 2018, the detail of which will be set out in the National Service Plan, 2018.

With regard to the impact this reform programme will have in Counties Cavan and Monaghan, as this is an operational matter, I have asked the HSE to respond directly to the Deputy.