AN ambulance base for west Clare has been identified as a priority for HSE Mid-West and a number of possible sites are being assessed.

Clare Fine Gael TD Joe Carey says the health authority is examining sites in Kilrush for suitability.

Deputy Carey, a long-time advocate of an improved ambulance service for West Clare, raised the issue in a recent parliamentary question to Health Minister Stephen Donnelly.

He has since been informed by National ambulance Deputy Director William Merriman that a new ambulance base in Kilrush has been identified as a priority.

“An option appraisal of sites in the Kilrush area is currently under way and a capital submission will be prepared with detailed briefing document, programme and costs once an appropriate site has been identified,” Mr Merriman explained.

Describing the response as a positive development, Deputy Carey said that he would now be asking the HSE to move ahead with the next phase of the project without delay.

“The long distances from areas of West Clare to University Hospital Limerick and the big increase in population during the summer months, particularly in popular tourist destinations, makes the provision of a fit-for-purpose ambulance service an absolute priority”, he added.