Health Minister Mike Nesbitt has unveiled 23 new Accident and Emergency ambulances as the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service (NIAS) progresses a scheduled renewal of 59 operational vehicles.

The programme also covers 22 replacement Patient Transport Service vehicles and 14 Rapid Response Vehicles, replacing older, high-mileage assets as part of NIAS's strategy to maintain a modern, safe and fit-for-purpose fleet.

NIAS says the refreshed vehicles will enhance reliability and availability, ease maintenance pressures linked to ageing assets, strengthen operational resilience and provide a contemporary working environment for crews.

The initiative supports the service's longer-term goal of a more sustainable, future-ready fleet, with upgraded specifications and the gradual adoption of lower-emission technologies to reduce environmental impact while meeting clinical, safety and operational standards.

Health Minister Mike Nesbitt said: "I am delighted to support the investment in this new, modern ambulance fleet for the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service. These vehicles represent a significant investment in the infrastructure that underpins our emergency healthcare response and non-emergency patient transport service, and will help ensure that NIAS staff have the modern, reliable equipment they need to deliver high-quality care to patients across Northern Ireland. "Ambulance services play a vital role in responding to emergencies and saving lives every day. This investment demonstrates our commitment to supporting front-line staff and providing the resources necessary to deliver safe, effective and timely emergency care to communities throughout Northern Ireland"

Séamus Mullen, NIAS Director of Planning, Performance and Corporate Services, said: "Our fleet is one of the most important enablers of frontline patient care. The replacement of these 59 vehicles represents a major investment in maintaining the safety, reliability and resilience of our services for patients, staff and communities across Northern Ireland.

"Ambulance vehicles operate around the clock in demanding conditions and accumulate significant mileage. A planned programme of fleet replacement is therefore essential to ensure that our vehicles remain modern, safe, reliable and fit for purpose.

"Replacing older, heavily utilised vehicles will help improve availability, reduce maintenance pressures and provide our crews with a modern environment in which to care for patients. This is a renewal of our existing fleet and does not represent an increase in the overall number of operational vehicles.

"The investment is also an important step in our longer-term approach to sustainability. NIAS is committed to progressively reducing the environmental impact of its operations through fleet modernisation, improved vehicle specifications and the adoption of new technologies where these can be introduced without compromising patient safety, clinical capability or response performance.

"We welcome the Minister's support for this important investment as we work to maintain a modern, reliable and future-ready ambulance service."