Vol. 481 No. 1
166 Mr. Roche asked the Minister for Health and Children if he will take urgent steps to ensure that the long awaited and much needed Eastern Health Board ambulance base at Arklow, County Wicklow is opened and put into full operation without any further delay. [15576/97]
The provision of ambulance services in Arklow, County Wicklow is a matter for the Eastern Health Board in the first instance. However, I have been advised by the board that it identified the need to develop an ambulance base at Arklow and a new base was completed in January 1997 at a cost of £300,000.
In anticipation of the completion of this project the board entered into discussions with staff representatives in mid 1996 with the objective of ensuring a smooth transfer of the staff involved to the new base. The matter was the subject of consideration by the Labour Relations Commission in June 1997 and by the Labour Court in September 1997. The current position is that the Labour Court has now issued its recommendations, the Eastern Health Board fully accepts these and is awaiting a response from the staff representatives.
