Patient transfer service may go to tender

Dublin's ambulance service, operated by Dublin Fire Brigade for more than 100 years, is at risk of privatisation pending the outcome of a European Commission case taken against the Government for anti-competitive practices.

The European Court of Justice is to rule this month on whether the city's emergency ambulance service should be put out to competitive tender.

The fire brigade has run the service since 1898. In 1971 the eastern health board, now the Health Service Executive, became the statutory provider of the service, but instructed the fire brigade to continue to run it.

The European advocate general has argued that granting the ambulance licence to the fire brigade (which acts under the auspices of Dublin City Council) without any tender advertising process was a breach of Ireland's treaty obligations on free movement of service.

A judgment in favour of the commission would mean the ambulance contract, which is worth about €9 million, would have to be readvertised. The opinions of advocates general are followed in 80 per of cases in the EU courts.

Dublin city councillor Daithí Doolan (SF) said the fire brigade service was staffed by skilled paramedics and should not be privatised. "This is people's lives we're talking about, not city council stationery."

The situation could be resolved if Minister for Health Mary Harney made the fire brigade the statutory provider of the service, Mr Doolan said.

Councillors are to meet Dublin city manager John Tierney later this month to discuss the service.

A spokesman for the Department of Health said yesterday that the Minister could not pre-empt the court's decision.