Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 27 September 2012
10. Deputy Seán Crowe asked the Minister for Health if he will address the concerns raised regarding the cutbacks to ambulance stations and services in Tallaght and Swords, County Dublin and in Maynooth, County Kildare; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40995/12]
Amharc ar fhreagraIn relation to the ambulance stations and services in Tallaght, Swords and Maynooth, I can confirm that there will be no reduction in staffing levels. Current overtime will, however, be reduced.
Following a referral to the Labour Court under the Public Service Agreement, the HSE National Ambulance Service is currently progressing a number of efficiencies arising from LCR 20313, including the issue of removal of overtime built in to rosters. New rosters are now in place and are operating successfully.
The National Ambulance Service is not a static service. The Service deploys its resources in a dynamic manner and works on an area and national, rather than a local, basis. The dynamic deployment of ambulance resources ensures that the nearest appropriate resource is mobilised to the location of any incident, including incidents in the greater Dublin area.. In this context, any removal of overtime inefficiencies will be addressed through more efficient deployment and utilisation of resources.
