Politician calls for more clarity on plans for Wales Air Ambulance
A politician has probed further into the publication of data that underpins the Wales Air Ambulance base move proposals.
Montgomeryshire Senedd member Russell George has asked the Welsh Government to outline any involvement it has in the proposals and to publish the data and modelling that underpins the plan.
News that the air ambulance charity is proposing to move its helicopter and rapid response vehicles from Welshpool airport to join the North Wales team on the new base out of Mid Wales has led to a storm of protest. More than 12,000 people have signed a petition calling for the proposals to be scrapped.
After Mr George’s question to the Welsh Government, the Senedd’s business manager, Lesley Griffiths MS, responded saying the data wasn’t suitable for publication as it could enable identification of individuals.
“I think it also contains commercially sensitive information, and, clearly, that would be very difficult to interpret without context,” Ms Griffiths said.
Speaking after raising the issue in the Senedd, Mr George said: “I had already challenged the first minister on the Welsh Government’s involvement with the proposals, given the involvement of the Welsh NHS. I also asked the first minister if he would publish the data and modelling that led to the proposals being brought forward.
“In August, the Wales Air Ambulance Trust told me that they wanted to be open and transparent and publish the data and modelling that underpins the proposals and that they expected to publish it before the end of September.
“The First Minister says the data doesn’t belong to the Welsh Government, it belongs to the Air Ambulance Charity.
“The Air Ambulance Charity has said that the data does not belong to them, it belongs to the service within the Welsh NHS.
“I’m uncertain why the data in question would involve mention of individuals, and why, any commercially sensitive information is relevant to the data and modelling that we are all keen to scrutinise.
“I now await clarification from the First Minister.”
The air ambulance charity says that joining the two facilities, currently at Welshpool and Caernarfon, on one, new site, would allow the service to be available for 18 hours a day.
