Today I see in correspondence that the Government is to purchase four new helicopters. For ten years or more I have been calling for enhanced services for the National Ambulance Service in Donegal. Before I came here, I was also lobbying Ministers for an air ambulance to enhance the National Ambulance Service in Donegal. I am asking for one of the helicopters to be based in Finner Camp in County Donegal. Geographically, Donegal is such a big county. If a helicopter comes from Athlone to Gleann Cholm Cille or Inishowen, the approximate flying time is 50 minutes. Finner Camp is geographically well placed to cover a large county like Donegal and nearby counties. We also have a cross-Border option there if needed. Time is crucial when people get a stroke or heart attack or if there is a serious car accident. This would enhance the National Ambulance Service. Rural communities like Donegal need a service like this.

I thank the Defence Forces and the Coast Guard for what they have done over the years, including many transfers from hospitals that have saved lives, from Letterkenny and Sligo to down here in Dublin and all over the country. It is a really crucial part of the puzzle for us in Donegal, with the county being so big. We have the base there in Finner Camp and it is time for the Government to look at Donegal as a special case for this. We are getting four helicopters, and why not deploy one in Donegal? It would be a game-changer for us up there.