Further questions are being raised over the level of ambulance cover in Clare after the county's rapid response vehicle was taken out of service once again.
The emergency vehicle was grounded by the National Ambulance Service on Saturday as two ambulances were sent to an incident in West Clare.
Dedicated rapid response vehicles were introduced in 2009 following the closure of Accident and Emergency departments in Ennis and Nenagh.
But this service has been stood down on numerous occasions over the past number of months due to staff shortages.
In this latest incident, reoprts say an Ambulance from Ennistymon attended an incident in West Clare on Saturday, while a second was sent over 40 kilometres from Ennis.
An advanced paramedic, trained in Advanced Life Support, who had been rostered to work in the dedicated rapid response vehicle, was sent in one of the two amblances, grounding the vehicle.
66 paramedics are currently in training at the National Ambulance Service's Head Quarters in Tallaght and are due to come on stream next year, but its not known at this stage if any of those will be stationed in Clare.
Separately, the Health Minister is to announce details of a fleet of nwe ambulances at an event in Dublin later today.
