The provision of an air ambulance service for emergency cases which cannot be safely conveyed by road ambulance continues to be provided by the Air Corps and the marine search and rescue helicopter service of the Department of the Marine and Natural Resources. Contacts with interested parties regarding the provision of a dedicated air ambulance service are ongoing, with a view to developing a consensus on the most appropriate role for air ambulances in the overall context of pre-hospital care.
I have requested the pre-hospital emergency care council – PHECC – to advise me on the question of the provision of a dedicated helicopter emergency service for the transport of seriously ill and injured people to hospital who cannot be safely conveyed by road ambulance. The council is presently considering the issue, including available literature on the use of helicopter emergency medical services. It is not possible at this stage to give an accurate estimation of when the council's considerations will be completed. It is important to acknowledge that an air ambulance service is only one element of an effective emergency medical care system. Since the publication of the report of the review group on the ambulance service in 1993 approximately £45 million has been provided for the implementation of its recommendations with over half of this funding provided by this Government.