NI ambulances bound for Creeslough were not stopped by visa bans, said NI ambulance service

The Northern Ireland Ambulance Service (NIAS) has rejected the findings of a British-Irish Parliamentary Assembly (BIPA) inquiry which alleged that some ambulance crews were unable to offer aid after last year’s Creeslough tragedy because visa rules prevented foreign-born paramedics crossing the Border.

Having first described the Assembly report as “totally wrong”, NIAS later said they wanted to put it on record that the response by its emergency teams to the Creeslough gas explosion last October was not affected in any way due to Border or visa issues.

“No NIAS staff were prevented in crossing the Border for any reason and we are deeply concerned at any reports suggesting this, as such comments will be deeply upsetting to the victims and families who were and still are affected by this tragedy,” it said.

The charge was made in a report following lengthy evidence sessions in London and Derry led by Fine Gael Senator Emer Currie, which was accepted by the assembly during a two-day gathering in Co Kildare this week, on visa problems affecting foreign-born medical staff.

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“Some ambulances from Northern Ireland could not assist during the explosion that occurred in Creeslough because not all of the paramedics had the necessary visas to cross the invisible border,” the Fine Gael senator told the assembly.

In its report, the BIPA committee said: “In October 2022, some ambulances from Northern Ireland could not assist during the explosion that occurred in Cresslough, Co Donegal, because not all of the paramedics had the necessary visas to cross the invisible border.”

NIAS received an emergency call for assistance after the explosion at an Applegreen station in the Co Donegal village and immediately dispatched an air ambulance and emergency teams including paramedics. Relief crews were sent later on.

[ Visa rules stopped Derry ambulance crews responding to Creeslough gas explosion ]

Four men, three women and three children died when the blast ripped through a building housing apartments and adjoining service station and shops packed with customers on a Friday afternoon.

Robert Garwe and his five-year-old daughter, Shauna Flanagan-Garwe; Catherine O’Donnell and her 13-year-old son James Monaghan; fashion student Jessica Gallagher; Celtic fan Martin McGill; Sydney native James O’Flaherty; shop worker Martina Martin; carpenter Hugh ‘Hughie’ Kelly; and 14-year-old Leona Harper were killed.

The Northern Irish emergency teams stayed “well into the weekend”, helping particularly to deal with the unstable building which was “a very difficult and dangerous scene”, NIAS said.

“Sadly, our crews also assisted in transporting some of the deceased to the mortuary in Letterkenny. Our thoughts remain with our colleagues, friends and neighbours who were affected by this incident, and in particular those in the Creeslough community who were directly impacted,” it added.

In its report, BIPA, which includes TDs, MPs and members of parliaments in Stormont, Edinburgh and Cardiff, along with the Channel Islands, called for changes to impending visa regulations that will require visitors to the UK to get an electronic travel authorisation before travelling.

Such a measure, which will not apply to people living legally in the Republic, threatens Northern Ireland’s tourist industry, the Assembly argued, since 70% of its tourists first arrive on the island of Ireland at Dublin Airport, and most of them do little than day trips across the Border.

A seven-day waiver should apply to foreign visitors travelling to Northern Ireland from the Republic, the Assembly recommended, if no other solution could be found.

However, the Home Office in London last night rejected the BIPA call, saying that the Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) scheme enhances the UK’s ability to stop unwanted visitors: “An exemption of this kind would undermine our efforts to strengthen the security of the UK border and keep people safe.

“Individuals arriving in the UK, including Northern Ireland, will need to continue to enter in line with the UK’s immigration framework, including obtaining an ETA if required,” the Home Office told The Irish Times.

“Once granted, an ETA will be valid for multiple journeys for up to two years, including those across the Ireland-Northern Ireland border whilst protecting the Common Travel Area from abuse,” it went on.