Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Thursday, 20 Oct 2016

Vol. 925 No. 3

Topical Issue Debate

School Patronage

Deputy Jan O'Sullivan

I thank the Ceann Comhairle for choosing this item for debate. It is very important to families living in Limerick city. Limerick city is unique in that it has a central application system for entry to post-primary schools. It does not apply in other parts of the country. One of the nine schools that is to be announced in the near future is in the south-western side of Limerick and is due to open in 2017. Therefore, it needs to be on the list of schools to which parents can apply for their children to attend from September 2017. The Minister for Education and Skills, Deputy Bruton, will know I have been raising the issue by way of parliamentary questions, and I have a written answer to a question from 5 October which causes me concern.

I am a former Minister for Education of Skills and the timetable, as I understood it when I left office, was that the patronage of the new schools was to be announced in the second week of September. The Department was well aware of the urgency of the issue, particularly regarding the Limerick school, given that the central application system does not apply in other parts of the country. This is the third week of October and we still do not have an announcement of the patronage of the schools. The written answer I received was as follows:

Applications received are currently being assessed by my Department... The final assessment reports will be forwarded for the consideration of the new schools establishment group, NSEG, which will submit a report with recommendations to me for consideration and final decision.

I am concerned about this given that I would have thought that at this stage the recommendations would have gone from the NSEG to the Minister for a decision. Schools in Limerick are holding their open days. Parents are attending these open days and will very soon have to fill in a school application form in which they will rank their preferences from one to nine, usually. This is a very important decision for parents. On the south side of the city, there is one large school which is always oversubscribed. Therefore, parents will have to decide whether they will put the school down as their first choice, knowing they may not get it. If they do not get this school, they may end up with the choice at the very bottom of their list, given that most of the schools they may have put down as their second or subsequent choices will already be filled by parents who have made those schools their first choice.

People in the House who do not live in Limerick do not deal with the system. It is a very specific system that applies in Limerick, and this is why it is so urgent we know the patronage of the school very quickly. If the Minister is not ready to announce the patronage of all nine schools, I urge him to at least announce this one, given that it is the most urgent. The other school that will open in Limerick is to be on the eastern side of the city. Given that it will not open until 2018, there is no particular urgency about it, although parents would like to know who the patron will be, as do parents in the other seven parts of the country where new schools are to be opened in 2017 or 2018. Obviously, the schools are needed, and would not be coming on stream if the demographic pressures did not exist in those parts of the country. From my knowledge of Limerick, I know there is real stress on parents who are worried their children will not get a place anywhere near where they live. In this part of Limerick, parents are sending their children out into the country on buses or across to the other side of the city, given that the one school in the area is so oversubscribed. The same is true of the other side of the city, which is due to get a new school in 2018. I urge the Minister to make a decision on the patronage of the school now.

Minister of State at the Department of Education and Skills (Deputy John Halligan)

I thank the Deputy for raising the question, which gives me the opportunity to set out the process by which it is decided who will operate a new school. Since 2011, new schools are established only in areas of demographic growth. My Department uses a geographical information system to identify the areas under increased demographic pressure nationwide. The system uses a range of data sources in carrying out nationwide demographic exercises to determine whether additional school accommodation is needed at primary and post-primary levels. As the Deputy will recall, the outcome of such demographic analyses was the November 2015 announcement that four new primary schools and nine new post-primary schools would open in 2017 and 2018 to cater for increased demographic needs.

When it is decided that a new school is required to meet demographic needs in an area, the Department runs a separate patronage process to decide who will operate the school. It is open to all patrons and prospective patrons to apply for patronage of a school under this process. The criteria used in relation to patronage of a new school place a particular emphasis on parental demand for plurality and diversity of patronage. Parental preferences for each patron, together with the extent of diversity available in the area, are key to decisions in relation to the outcome of the process.

In April 2016, applications were invited for the patronage of the nine new post-primary schools to be established in 2017 and 2018, including the new post-primary school to serve the Limerick city and environs in the south-west area. The closing date for receipt of applications for this process was 8 June 2016. Patrons submitted with their application a parental preference template in which parents had been requested to declare their preference for their child to be educated through that patron's school model and also their preference with regard to education through the medium of English or Irish. The assessment process is at a very advanced stage in the Department. As the Deputy will appreciate, the process is detailed and rigorous, and numerous applications have been received in respect of each of the nine proposed new schools. The new schools establishment group is an external independent advisory group set up to oversee the process. The new schools establishment group is meeting next week and a report with its recommendations should be submitted to the Minister, Deputy Richard Bruton, shortly thereafter for his consideration and final decision, and I will also receive it. He will then announce who is the successful patron of each school.

In the context of the common applications system which operates in Limerick, the Department has been liaising with the Limerick Education Centre in this matter and understands that post-primary school opening days and nights are ongoing. The assessment reports and recommendations of the NSEG will be available on the Department’s website following the announcement. I will look into the particular school and if the Deputy would like to meet me, it would be no bother. I would be delighted to sit down with her and see if we can push it forward as soon as possible. I understand the necessity of it.

Deputy Jan O'Sullivan

I thank the Minister of State for his reply and for his offer at the end of his contribution. At least there is some progress and some definite information in that the NSEG is meeting next week. I assume it will make decisions at the meeting and immediately send its recommendations to the Minister, and that the Minister, as is the norm, will go along with the recommendations. I hope we will have news by the end of next week. If, by any chance, the NSEG is not in a position to make a decision on all the nine schools, I urge that it make a decision on the school in question, given that it is the most urgent one. I ask the Minister of State to convey this to the Minister, Deputy Richard Bruton, and the Department.

The Minister of State can imagine what it is like for parents. Every year, when they have to fill in these forms, public representatives in the area have very stressed parents coming into our offices. These parents say they do not know what to do, given that if they put down a certain school as their first choice they may not get it and their children may have to travel long distances to school.

Given that a new school is coming on stream, pressure will be eased in the part of the city that has been under the most pressure. Knowing that the school is coming on stream is a help in itself, but parents also need to know its patronage before it can be placed on their lists. We do not know what it will be, but some parents have certain preferences and its patronage will colour their decisions of whether to put the school first on their lists.

An urgent decision is needed. I welcome the Minister of State's positive response. I hope that he will convey the situation's urgency to his colleagues in the Department and to the Minister, Deputy Bruton.

Deputy John Halligan

The Deputy has my word on that. The Minister or I will revert to her immediately once the decision is made. I will do my utmost to have an answer for her about the school. We will revert to her within a week. Is that fair enough?

Deputy Jan O'Sullivan

I thank the Minister of State.

Film Industry

Deputy Pat Casey

I am grateful for the opportunity to raise what is a serious issue for Wicklow. Yesterday, we received by e-mail the announcement that Ardmore Studios were being placed for sale on the open market. This raises serious questions for Enterprise Ireland and the Government about the development of the film industry in Wicklow, given the industry's significant jobs potential for our county.

As most people are aware, Ardmore Studios are the birthplace and foundation of the Irish film industry. Ardmore is an amazing success story that should be built on, not sold. The 18-acre site is crucial to the development of the film industry in Wicklow and, indeed, the nation. Productions at Ardmore have won 14 Oscars and many BAFTA, Golden Globe and Emmy awards, including for such well-known films as "Braveheart", "My Left Foot" and "Excalibur" and, in the modern television era, "Moone Boy", "The Tudors" and "Penny Dreadful".

The film industry is key to the economic development of Ireland, with up to 500 jobs associated with Ardmore when it is at full capacity. It has been at full capacity for the past two years, earning profits of €1.5 million and €1.6 million, respectively. Significant public investment by successive Governments and Wicklow County Council has been made in the site for decades and the industry has grown through section 481 tax measures.

The Government, through Enterprise Ireland, has a 32% shareholding in the site according to yesterday's RTE business news. What is the reason behind the Government's sale of the site? The announcement of the sale as a going concern is worrying because there is a substantial risk that it will be sold to the highest bidder, who could be a developer and have nothing to do with the film industry. Will the Government confirm that the sale is conditional and Ardmore will be retained as a film production centre, with no ifs or buts about it? I just want a simple confirmation that the site will remain for the film industry. Film production is a national strategic industry and the Government, through Enterprise Ireland, should retain a direct shareholding interest in it via Ardmore.

Following the civil war and at the beginning of the determined efforts by Seán Lemass to modernise the Irish economy, Emmet Dalton, friend and comrade of Michael Collins, convinced his old civil war enemy, Seán Lemass, to invest in the film industry and build a studio at Ardmore on a 37-acre site, which opened in 1958. If Seán Lemass could be convinced by Emmet Dalton that the State should be involved in the film industry, it is ironic that a Fine Gael-led Government could be about to see that dramatic partnership end.

As a representative of a key shareholder, will the Minister of State confirm that the sale of the studios will be conditional on its continuance as a centre for film production?

Deputy John Halligan

I thank the Deputy for raising this matter. Clearly, my thoughts are with the workers and families affected by the announcement. I hope that all employment rights will be adhered to if it comes to the closure or sale of the studios.

The sale of Ardmore Studios is a commercial decision by the owners of the studios. In this regard, Enterprise Ireland only has a minority stake in Ardmore Studios, which is a legacy issue as a result of an equity investment and a loan by NADCORP, a predecessor State agency. The balance is owned by a company that is owned by its shareholders. This means that the Government holds only a minority share. It is worth noting that a significant part of the site being sold is zoned for film production purposes only. This is the information that we received recently.

Enterprise Ireland supports certain types of companies in the creative sector in areas such as animation and digital content. It provides these companies with a range of supports appropriate to their stage of business and is committed to supporting them to internationalise.

Today, the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality, Deputy Fitzgerald, concluded a two-day Enterprise Ireland trade visit to Cannes and the Cote d'Azur region of France. Twenty-three Irish companies were represented and travelled to France to build business relationships with their current and prospective counterparts in four key sectors in the region. Seventeen companies from the Irish film sector were part of this group and included companies such as Soho Moon, Bandit Films, Irish TV and Treehouse Republic. Building on its commitment to this sector, Enterprise Ireland was supportive of the establishment of Animation Ireland, a trade association for the leading Irish animation studios working together to promote Ireland's world class sector internationally.

Wicklow has been home to Ardmore Studios since 1958 and the recent establishment of another state-of-the-art studio, Ashford Studios, demonstrates the region's suitability as hub for the indigenous and international film industry. The regional presence of the Wicklow Film Commission is an additional support for film makers exploring options for filming in the area.

The mid-east regional Action Plan for Jobs has a number of actions to support the film sector. These include a feasibility study and business plan for the development of a film industry cluster in the county; activating a film industry network to contribute towards the development of an audiovisual cluster; piloting a one-day workshop in film industry-related training; building on the success of the film sector by providing supports and incentives and developing ancillary services; and the provision of film industry-related training programmes in partnership with third level institutions in the area. In this regard, Wicklow County Council, education and training providers and the film industry development group are working with the Wicklow local enterprise office to progress these actions.

I must apologise to the Deputy, as I am taking this question and the information has been given to me quickly. According to it, the decision was a commercial one. Enterprise Ireland only has a minority shareholding. I do not know the exact figure and will not pretend to know, but either the Minister, Deputy Mitchell O'Connor, or I will revert to the Deputy on this matter. It is being investigated and we are in contact with whoever needs to be contacted because this has unquestionably been a blow to the area. I am unsure as to the Government's involvement, given that this is a commercial decision and Enterprise Ireland only has a minority stake.

Deputy Pat Casey

I thank the Minister of State for taking this question.

However, the response I have had is very disappointing on a personal level. I was asked to defer this question from yesterday to today so that the Minister for Arts, Heritage, Regional, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs, Deputy Heather Humphreys, would be here to answer it. As we all can see, she is not in the Chamber. This raises more suspicion, which is not a word I use lightly, as to what is going on. The State does not have a small shareholding in this industry; it has a 32% stake. I fully agree with the Minister of State in regard to the Action Plan for Jobs. There is reference, on pages 5 and 7 of that document, to the unique opportunity Wicklow offers to develop and build on the film industry, with a specific reference to the two studios involved. The State is selling its shareholding in the largest film studio in the country with absolutely no conditions attached. That is totally unacceptable.

In my capacity as a Member of Dáil Éireann for Wicklow, I contacted IBI Corporate Finance yesterday to request a copy of the prospectus of sale in order to study it. My request was refused point blank and I was told to contact Ardmore Studios directly. I then spoke to the CEO of Ardmore Studios, who likewise denied me a copy of the prospectus. What is going on here? I have serious reservations about the Government's role in this sale. It is disappointing and unacceptable that members of the Government do not know what is happening with the State's stake. As I said, I am annoyed that I was asked yesterday to defer this matter on the basis that the Minister would be here today, only to find her absent. There is no appreciation of how important this industry is to Wicklow. The Ardmore site must be maintained as a film studio into the future.

Deputy John Halligan

I can only agree with what the Deputy has said. I will not defend the indefensible and I agree that if Ardmore Studios is closing, we need to know why. I was not aware the State has a 32% stake in it. The policy issues concerning the film industry are matters for my colleague, the Minister for Arts, Heritage, Regional, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs. I assure the Deputy I will contact her as soon as I can and request that she make contact with the Deputy and see where we can go from here. I am informed that planning issues generally are a matter for the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government but it is the Minister for Arts, Heritage, Regional, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs who is dealing with this particular matter. I will do my best in the coming days to ensure any information the Deputy needs regarding what is happening to Ardmore Studios is imparted to him by whichever is the relevant Department. It is not acceptable that the Deputy, who represents the area in question, should not have all the relevant information. If I can gather the information on what is happening with Enterprise Ireland and the Government's role in the sale, I give the Deputy my word I will get it for him. If not, I will contact the relevant Department and request that the Minister contact the Deputy in the coming days.

Health Services Staff

Deputy Imelda Munster

I am disappointed that the Minister for Health, Deputy Simon Harris, is not in the Chamber to be accountable in respect of the serious issue I wish to raise. Is the Minister of State, Deputy Catherine Byrne, aware of plans by the Health Service Executive to cut primary care services in the Louth-Meath area? The HSE has instructed management in the health service to save €1.5 million by way of staffing cuts between now and the end of the year. These measures will lead to serious cutbacks in services provided by occupational therapists, physiotherapists, public health nurses and, in particular, home help support staff. Is the Minister of State aware that last Friday week, the HSE called a meeting at Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Louth at which it informed management there that the contracts of nine full-time clerical and administrative staff and one part-time clerical worker were to be terminated with immediate effect?

It beggars belief that at a time when we are seeing services, especially primary care services, cut to the bone, further cuts are being made just as we come into the winter months. I know of many elderly people throughout Louth and east Meath, people who are sick and frail and have serious mobility issues, who are currently receiving only 15 minutes of home help twice a week, if they are lucky. These are people who need help to get out of bed and get washed and dressed every morning. Now the service will be further cut. That is totally unacceptable and amounts to neglect of patient care.

The sacking of nine full-time clerical and administrative staff and one part-time worker at Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Drogheda will have an adverse effect on patients. If there are insufficient numbers of clerical and administrative staff, there will be delays in patients getting notice of appointments, receiving referrals and obtaining doctors' and consultants' letters. It beggars belief that this is being done. Moreover, Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital is one of the worst in the country for overcrowding, being often top of the list in this regard. Yesterday, for instance, 29 patients were on trolleys there. I am calling on the Minister to reverse those cuts as we approach the winter.

The situation is compounded by the fact that 18 beds assigned to services for the elderly in Louth have been closed and lie empty because of nursing staff shortages. I realise there is an overall nursing recruitment plan in place but a significant part of the problem in my constituency is the serious delays by the HSE management nationally, not locally, in approving the filling of staff vacancies. It was known for months before the 18 beds were closed that there was a need to recruit staff. Those approvals were left on a desk or shelf gathering dust in the full knowledge of the crisis we were facing. It was only when it was brought into the public domain several weeks ago that the beds were closed that there was an undertaking to fill the roles. Will the Minister implement a fast-tracking process to fill these vacancies? The delay in so doing is compounding the problems in the Louth-Meath area.

Minister of State at the Department of Health (Deputy Catherine Byrne)

I am taking this issue on behalf of the Minister for Health, Deputy Harris, who apologises for having to attend another engagement. The HSE has advised that Louth primary care services have not applied staffing cuts during 2016. Department officials have, however, been advised by the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, RCSI, hospital group that its cost containment plan for the Louth hospital group, which comprises Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital and Louth County Hospital, included the release of 9.5 agency staff from various administrative and clerical roles within the two hospitals. Senior management in the hospitals sought to retain two of those agency staff for a short period to facilitate an efficient transition of work duties to other staff within the hospitals. At this time, 7.5 agency staff have been released, with the final two to follow at a later stage.

The HSE has advised that community health organisation area 8, which includes Louth and Meath, is projected to run €1.5 million in excess of available funds for primary care services for 2016.

This overspend is across the six counties of the CHO. Each service manager has been tasked with exploring ways in which efficiencies and savings can be achieved. As I have already advised the Deputy, Louth primary care has not applied staffing cuts during 2016. The HSE has advised that where vacancies arise, applications are made by individual service departments to fill them.

Significant additional resources have been invested in recent years in primary care and disabled services with a view to enhancing therapy service provision. In particular, additional funding of €20 million was provided in 2013 to strengthen primary care services and to support the recruitment for prioritised front-line posts. Over 260 additional posts for primary care teams have been filled as part of this initiative.

More recently, €4 million was provided under the HSE's national service plan 2016 to focus specifically on addressing speech and language therapy waiting lists in primary care and social care for children up to 18 years. This funding is facilitating the HSE to appoint 83 new full-time and recurring posts in primary care to address waiting lists, prioritising the longest-waiting children. I am advised that three posts have been allocated to Louth under this initiative.

Alongside services provided through primary care teams and networks, Louth has a Community Intervention Team, CIT, in place to facilitate early discharge from hospital. The 2016-17 winter initiative provides for the expansion of CIT services in Louth and Meath with the potential to support additional patients through the winter and during 2017.

I also understand that there has been increased investment in addiction services across the Louth and Meath area during 2016, with three additional clinical posts coming on stream. Additionally, there have been improvements in podiatry and dietetics services as part of chronic disease management. Furthermore, budget 2017 provides additional funding of €18.5 million for the further development of primary care services. This funding will support the Government's commitment to a shift towards primary care so that we can provide better care close to home for communities around the country.

Deputy Imelda Munster

The first question I asked was whether the Minister for Health would reverse the €1.5 million in cuts to primary care services. I did not get a response to that question. The Minister of State said that 9.5 clerical and administrative staff were "released" from their posts. That is a first. I have never heard of anybody who had a contract terminated with immediate effect going home to his or her family and saying, "I was released from work today". They were sacked.

I will go back to the questions and hopefully the Minister of State will give me an answer this time and not just the usual HSE spiel. Does the Minister intend to implement a fast-tracking process for the filling of nursing vacancies within the HSE? The filling of those vacancies was not approved by senior HSE management which has resulted in the closure of 18 beds in the elderly services in County Louth. Will the Minister give a commitment to introduce a fast-tracking process?

On the issue of recruitment more generally, is there any forward planning at all? Does the HSE put any thought into the age profile of its staff and planned retirements? Is there any sort of planning at all? This crisis was allowed to develop due to inaction by HSE senior management at national level and, as a result, the patients and the staff suffer. The staff suffer greatly. I know there is a problem with the recruitment of nurses nationally but that stems from the deliberate running down of our public health service. Nurses are leaving in their droves due to the stressful working conditions. I read recently of nurses who have moved abroad-----

Acting Chairman (Deputy Eugene Murphy)

Thank you, Deputy.

Deputy Imelda Munster

-----who have found again the love that they had for their profession because they are respected in the countries in which they are now working. They have a proper, decent working environment.

Again, I ask the Minister of State to answer my question about fast-tracking the approval process for the filling of vacancies. I also ask her to answer the question about reversing the €1.5 million in cuts to vital primary care services.

Acting Chairman (Deputy Eugene Murphy)

Thank you, Deputy. We are way over time.

Deputy Catherine Byrne

I understand that the Deputy is very frustrated with my reply. Unfortunately, I cannot give her any assurance that the €1.5 million in cuts will be reversed. I cannot answer that particular question because I do not have the details in front of me. However, I will pursue the matter with the Minister for Health on Deputy Munster's behalf.

Deputy Imelda Munster

That was part of the question I tabled.

Acting Chairman (Deputy Eugene Murphy)

I appreciate that but the Minister of State is only standing in for the Minister for Health. I do not want to interrupt the Deputy but there is a procedure whereby the questioner has four minutes, the Minister four minutes and then each has a further two minutes.

Deputy Catherine Byrne

The second part of the Deputy's question related to the 18 beds that were closed in Louth. Unfortunately, I do not have any information on that either. However, I will come back to the Deputy on it. I will make a commitment to the Deputy to revert to her on it because I do not have the relevant information in front of me now.

In the reply I have in front of me, it is made very clear that the €1.6 million was actually an overspend within the Louth area. That is now being rectified through the various hospitals. The Minister is committed to supporting those in Louth and Meath to make the changes as quickly as possible. There is nothing in what I said to suggest that nurses would not be recruited. There is a definite response to the effect that additional staff will be employed but that it will take time.

Unfortunately, I do not have the specific answers to the Deputy's questions. However, I have taken down in detail what she has said and I will speak to the Minister for Health about it and ask him to reply to her in person.

Acting Chairman (Deputy Eugene Murphy)

Deputy Byrne is a woman of her word and I am sure she will revert to Deputy Munster. I apologise to Deputy Munster for cutting her short but I need to stick to the time table. She raised an issue which is of concern throughout the country.

Ambulance Service Accommodation

Deputy Pat Deering

I thank the Ceann Comhairle's office for selecting this very important issue which relates to the ambulance base in Carlow town. Carlow town has a population of approximately 23,500. The total population of the county is around 55,000. The ambulance base has been located in the grounds of the former mental hospital in Carlow, St. Dympna's, for the past few years. It has 15 rostered paramedics, five advanced and ten ordinary. The base is one of the busiest in the south east. The structure itself is a prefabricated building which has been in place for the past 15 years. In the past while, however, the structure has become totally outdated. There are issues with sewage and vermin, there is no running hot water and there is no place for the paramedics to make a cup of tea. The base is used 24 hours a day, seven days a week, but is totally unsuitable. Paramedics who are on a shift from 7 a.m to 7 p.m., for example, and who are back at the base in Carlow, cannot even make a cup of tea. If they get soiled while on duty, there is nowhere for them to have a shower or change their clothes.

Last October, I was given a written guarantee by the authorities regarding the base. In a letter from the HSE, I was assured that a logistics and estates manager was involved in ongoing discussions with the HSE's estates section with the aim of identifying a suitable alternative site or suitable accommodation within the St. Dympna's campus as a matter of priority. The campus at St. Dympna's is huge with a lot of available space. However, as and from Monday morning next, the paramedics who work out of the Carlow base are being moved to Kilkenny. It is totally unacceptable to expect paramedics in a town the size of Carlow to work out of Kilkenny. There should be an alternative site in Carlow made available to them. I was also told that work was ongoing to provide an alternative and upgrade the existing structure.

If this work is going to be done, why not move the personnel to another part of the Carlow base?

I have two questions for the Minister of State, whom I thank for being here. Can she assure me that the base in Carlow will be maintained after this work has been completed? It is essential that the Carlow base is maintained and I want an assurance to that effect. There are serious concerns about the effect the decision to move these paramedics to the base at St. Luke's hospital in Kilkenny, which is at least 40 minutes from Carlow town and the north Carlow area, will have on patient care and welfare in the Carlow ambulance service area. Can the Minister of State give me an assurance that this move will not have a knock-on effect on the care and welfare of patients in County Carlow? I will repeat my two questions. Can the Minister of State tell me whether the base in Carlow town will be maintained indefinitely? Can she comment on the effect this move will have on the welfare and care of patients in the Carlow area?

Deputy Catherine Byrne

I thank Deputy Deering. I am responding to this matter on behalf of the Minister.

The National Ambulance Service, NAS, has confirmed that following a health and safety audit, an issue was identified in the shower and changing facilities used by staff at the Carlow ambulance station. Works are planned to take place to rectify the issue concerned and this is being treated as a priority by the NAS. Discussions are under way with staff with a view to addressing how services in the Carlow area can best be provided while the planned works are under way. Patient safety will be the overriding priority in these discussions. The director of the NAS has assured me that services in the Carlow area will not be compromised during this period.

The NAS has undergone a significant process of modernisation in recent years. A number of significant service innovations and developments have taken place, including: the establishment of the national emergency operations centre; the delivery of enhanced technology to improve response times; the development of an intermediate care service to provide lower-acuity hospital transfers, thereby freeing up more emergency ambulances for more urgent calls; and the establishment of a permanent emergency aeromedical support service. We are looking at alternatives to the current care model, which requires every patient to be brought to an emergency department. These alternatives include providing clinical advice over the phone to callers and referring them to other care pathways as appropriate.

This reform programme is taking place against the backdrop of the HIQA review of ambulance services, which was published in late 2014, and the NAS capacity review, which was published earlier this year. The capacity review, which was undertaken by a UK-based consultancy firm, Lightfoot Solutions, examined overall ambulance resource levels and distribution against demand and activity. The review found that the NAS faces a major challenge compared to ambulance services elsewhere because population density in Ireland differs significantly from that in many other countries. The population outside the greater Dublin area is widely dispersed, with a relatively large number of people living in rural areas. This means response time targets are much more difficult to achieve because of longer driving distances. The report endorses the existing policy of dynamic deployment, whereby vehicles are strategically located where they are most likely to be required, rather than statically deployed and located at a particular station.

The implementation of the recommendations of the capacity review will require a multi-annual programme of phased investment in ambulance manpower, vehicles and technology. In that regard, the Deputy can be assured that increased funding will be available to the NAS for 2017. The detail of the improvements to be funded will be provided in the HSE's national service plan for 2017. Officials in the Department of Health will work closely with their counterparts in the HSE and the NAS in the coming weeks to agree priorities for the 2017 allocations.

Deputy Pat Deering

I thank the Minister of State for her reply. I appreciate her point that this is a priority issue. It was a priority issue last October but 12 months have passed. When does a priority issue become a genuine priority? I am very disappointed that this issue has not been addressed over the past 12 months. We are not talking about huge sums of money.

The members of these ambulance crews, who could be out on a call for a large part of the day, have nowhere to make cups of tea or wash their hands. They are based in conditions that are at a Third-World level. It is not acceptable in 2016 that there are vermin issues and sewage is building up. This issue needs to be addressed as soon as possible. While I accept that services in Carlow will not be compromised, I am not convinced in other respects. I did not hear much in the Minister of State's reply to suggest that the ambulance base in Carlow will be maintained there in the future. This is the key issue.

There must be an ambulance base to cater for Carlow town's population of 23,000 or 24,000 people. Ambulance personnel have to be able to get to the people of Carlow as soon as issues arise. I appreciate that the demographics of our society are changing. We need to be able to get to incidents within a specific period of time. The ambulance staff in Carlow want a base in the town to serve the local population of 23,000 or 24,000 people. They need a place where they can make cups of tea, wash their hands and change their clothes when the situation arises. I ask the Minister of State for confirmation that this will become a priority issue as we move forward. The ambulance base in Carlow must be maintained. The alternative accommodation that the local ambulance personnel want must be provided for them as soon as possible.

Deputy Catherine Byrne

I understand where Deputy Deering is coming from. It is unacceptable that the staff of a service that helps people have to work in conditions in which they cannot do normal things like wash their hands and use the bathroom. All I can give the Deputy is the answer I have in front of me. I cannot specifically say to him where the base will end up. I will raise the matter with the Minister, Deputy Harris. Having spoken to the Minister, I can assure Deputy Deering that the HSE will be prioritising the facility for the people who are part of the emergency service in Carlow. I will continue to pursue this matter with the Minister on behalf of the Deputy over the next day or two.

It is not acceptable that the Deputy has had to raise this matter again after 12 months of promises that something will happen. I will make it my personal business to go back to the Minister and speak to him at length, just as I have done every time I have responded to Topical Issues raised by Government and Opposition Deputies. I will come back to Deputy Deering with some kind of a formulated answer if that is acceptable.

Deputy Pat Deering

I thank the Minister of State.

Acting Chairman (Deputy Eugene Murphy)

I thank the Minister of State and Deputy Deering for their co-operation. It is much appreciated.