Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 12 March 2015
261. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if his Department has been apprised of the decision to transfer the Dublin city fire brigade ambulance services to the Health Service Executive; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10895/15]
View answerOperational responsibility for the management and delivery of health and personal social services, including the National Ambulance Service, is a matter for the Health Service Executive, which is under the aegis of my colleague, the Minister for Health.
Dublin City Council’s Fire Brigade provides an emergency medical service on behalf of the Health Service Executive for a large part of the Dublin area. Emergency calls from the public for both fire and ambulance assistance are received currently in the Regional Communications Centre (RCC) operated by Dublin Fire Brigade in Townsend Street. My Department has been briefed by the City Council in relation to the implementation of recommendations for service improvement contained in the recently published Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) report on Pre-Hospital Emergency Care Services. In that context, while changes are proposed in the call-taking arrangements to deal with the HIQA recommendation, there are no proposals to change or remove the provision of the emergency ambulance service from Dublin Fire Brigade.
I understand that structures are being put in place to assist with implementation of the proposals. An inter-service implementation group is being established involving Dublin City Council and the HSE, and an internal Forum is to be convened within Dublin City Council, inclusive of DCC Management and SIPTU and IMPACT representatives, to address matters arising under proposals for the handling of emergency calls.
