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Air charity spends £500K on admin NI 'does not need air ambulance'
(about 2 hours later)
It has emerged that 90% of the £194,000 donated to the Ireland Air Ambulance charity in its first year went on staff wages and overheads. The Northern Ireland public has so far donated £700,000 towards a helicopter air ambulance, the BBC has learned.
So far, the Ireland Air Ambulance charity, launched in 2007, has raised £700,000 from public donations. The majority of the money collected by the Ireland Air Ambulance charity - 90% in its first year - has been spent on wages and administration costs.
More than £500,000 of the money raised so far has gone on wages and administration. Health Minister Michael McGimpsey said he did not believe there was sufficient demand for the service.
Health Minister Michael McGimpsey has said there was no real need for an air ambulance for the region. "Frankly, I am bemused that this is progressing the way it is," Mr McGimpsey said.
"Frankly I am bemused that this is progressing the way it is progressing," he said. "We are collecting money for an ambulance helicopter that, as far as I am aware, there has been no order placed for, there has been no understanding created for and actually, when I look hard at it, there is no real need for."
"We are collecting money for an ambulance helicopter that, as far as I am aware there has been no order placed for, there has been no understanding created for and actually, when I look hard at it, there is no real need for it." "The proposed helicopter that you are talking about operates only in good weather and in daylight.
The charity said that it planned to bring a helicopter to Northern Ireland irrespective of whether or not it has agreements in place with the Department of Health or the Ambulance Service over deployment. "The maritime agency will provide us with a helicopter in all weathers, day and night, throughout the year so that is our prime resource in the event of needing a helicopter.
"Currently, the demand, according to the ambulance service, is not there."
The IAA has said it hopes to launch the service in November, although to date it has not found anywhere to base its helicopter.
The charity has also said it planned to have a leased a helicopter before the beginning of June.
Speaking at the beginning of last month, charity spokesman Mark Sellers said the aircraft had already been sourced.
"We are signing contracts within the next 10 days. We are very fortunate.
"The company that have supplied us with the aircraft have really looked after us."
However, the BBC understands that a lease has yet to be signed.
Before any air ambulance becomes operational it needs to have robust agreements in place with the health and ambulance services to cover deployment practices.
Mr McGimpsey said these agreements do not exist.
"There have been attempts to discover a protocol or a way forward but to date the proposers for the ambulance have not been able to satisfy the health service as to how this ambulance would operate," he added.