Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 13 January 2026
2308. Deputy Emer Currie asked the Minister for Health the position regarding the Programme for Government commitment to advancing the full implementation of the recommendations of the HSE-Dublin City Council joint ambulance service delivery task and finish group; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [75048/25]
View answer2309. Deputy Emer Currie asked the Minister for Health the progress made to date regarding the 15 central recommendations made in a report (details supplied), in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [75051/25]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 2308 and 2309 together.
The Deputy will be aware that Dublin Fire Brigade (DFB) is the primary provider of emergency ambulance services in Dublin on behalf of Dublin City Council (DCC). The HSE's National Ambulance Service (NAS) provides some emergency ambulance support DFB in Dublin when requested and subject to availability.
There exists a high level of cooperation between DFB and the NAS on day-to-day operational matters with efforts ongoing to continue to build on this close cooperation to help strengthen further arrangements for the delivery of ambulances services in the capital.
As the Deputy has mentioned in their question, in late 2022 HSE/DCC Joint Ambulance Service Delivery Task & Finish Group was established by the then Minister for Health and the Minister for Housing, Local Government & Heritage to identify a more effective ambulance service delivery model for Dublin. The Task and Finish Group made a number of recommendations to strengthen collaboration between the NAS and DFB to improve the delivery of emergency ambulance services in Dublin.
The Programme for Government contains a specific commitment to implement the recommendations of the Task and Finish Group. Work towards implementing this commitment is ongoing with a Joint NAS/DFB Emergency Ambulance Collaboration Group established in August 2024 to review existing collaborative arrangements and develop processes to implement the Task and Finish Group's recommendations. In this regard, the Collaboration Group is meeting regularly and its work is ongoing.
I welcome this engagement between the two ambulance services with the shared aim of improving ambulance service delivery for patients in Dublin.
