I call Deputy Scanlon.

Page 59 of the programme for Government states there will be an increase in ambulance emergency medical technicians and paramedics every year to improve response times, as well as a commitment to expand the national first responder network. The situation whereby it takes 80 minutes for an ambulance to arrive to an incident is completely unacceptable and it is failing people living in rural areas. Carrick-on-Shannon, for instance, has just one ambulance and one crew. During busy times, that ambulance can be servicing Longford, Mullingar, Cavan and Monaghan, which leaves that area very much exposed. We need a second ambulance and crew. A number of technicians have qualified in the past 18 months but most of those people have been taken to Dublin, which I understand.

The first responder schemes need to be rolled out in the north west. In Dublin, firefighters are trained to paramedic level. That means there are paramedics available on a 24-7 basis in the event of an emergency. What is the status of discussions between the national ambulance service and the national directorate for fire and emergency management on the issue of first responder provision? I am aware they are in discussions.

I call Deputy Martin Kenny on the same matter.

I wrote to the ambulance service earlier this year about this very point. We have a problem in north Roscommon and south Leitrim in that we do not have enough ambulances on the ground. A situation often arises where the ambulances are sent out of the area on a busy Saturday night in the town of Carrick-on-Shannon where we have huge numbers of people and accidents happening all over the place yet there is no ambulance service. An ambulance has to be called from Letterkenny or from Ballina to come to that area. That is no longer acceptable. We need the physical ambulance to be purchased and put into the ambulance centre either in Boyle or in Carrick-on-Shannon. The staff are available to staff it. All we need is the ambulance. I emphasise the need to put that in place as quickly as possible.

I thank Deputies Scanlon and Martin Kenny for raising this important matter. We have increased the budget for the national ambulance service by a further €10.9 million this year. Of that, almost €3 million is for new development. That will provide for more ambulances and paramedics on the ground. In fact, we have also increased the number of paramedics in training by an additional 112. In the west, which the Deputies referenced, the Government has delivered new ambulance bases in Tuam and Mulranny and 55 extra paramedics. I take the points that both Deputies raised and will revert to them directly.