Questions

251. Deputy Pádraig Rice asked the Minister for Health the steps she is taking to avert the planned strike action in the National Ambulance Service; if she will commit to implementing the independent review of roles and responsibilities at the National Ambulance Service; the reason this has not been done to date; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [35633/26]

258. Deputy Michael Cahill asked the Minister for Health to urgently meet with and meaningfully engage with, the National Ambulance Services on issues (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [35724/26]

1020. Deputy Conor Sheehan asked the Minister for Health if she has considered the National Ambulance Service capital investment plan for the midwest for 2027, including staffing need, vehicle need, recurring cost and capital investment; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [33990/26]

1034. Deputy Shane Moynihan asked the Minister for Health her views on a matter (details supplied) [34098/26]

1058. Deputy Michael Cahill asked the Minister for Health to provide an ambulance base in Killorglin as a matter of priority as this will significantly improve response times along with improving admission times for patients to University Hospital Kerry; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [34270/26]

1114. Deputy Donna McGettigan asked the Minister for Health the reason the National Ambulance Service (NAS) has failed to implement the recommendations of the 2020 independent Roles and Responsibilities Review, which proposed enhanced salary scales to reflect the increased clinical workload and responsibilities of paramedics; if she will acknowledge that this failure is the primary driver of the stoppages planned for…

1115. Deputy Donna McGettigan asked the Minister for Health if she is aware that staff representatives assert the core paramedic salary scales have not been updated to reflect the evolution of the profession in 18 years, despite the role moving to a degree-level clinical grade; the reason her Department has not finalised the proposed 3% to 14% pay modernisation increases that were brokered to address this anomaly; an…

1116. Deputy Donna McGettigan asked the Minister for Health the reason the National Ambulance Service is estimated to be short by 2,000 to 2,500 paramedics of its own 2026 workforce target; her views on whether the current uncompetitive pay structure is preventing the recruitment and retention needed to hit these targets; if she will provide a value-for-money justification for the record €27.4 billion health budget w…

1117. Deputy Donna McGettigan asked the Minister for Health the reason the HSE and NAS management have insisted that pay modernisation increases be phased in over a multi-year period while demanding immediate productivity changes, a position which led to a 69% rejection of the latest pay deal by NAS members in February 2026; the immediate steps she is taking to prevent further strikes scheduled for June 2026; and if …

1118. Deputy Donna McGettigan asked the Minister for Health the total number of whole-time equivalent (WTE) paramedics and advanced paramedics currently employed by the National Ambulance Service (NAS), of that total, the number that are currently assigned to non-operational roles, such as management, administration, clinical auditing, or office-based training positions, and are therefore not available for frontline …

1119. Deputy Donna McGettigan asked the Minister for Health to clarify if the "record recruitment" figures frequently cited by her Department include paramedics who have been seconded to office-based or headquarters roles; if she will provide a separate breakdown of the number of paramedics available for active rostered shifts in County Clare for each month in 2025 and 2026 to date; and if she will make a statement o…

1120. Deputy Donna McGettigan asked the Minister for Health the reason there has been a reported increase in the number of 'clinical support officer' and administrative positions within the NAS while frontline stations like Kilrush continue to report dropped shifts due to a lack of available paramedics; if she will commit to a "frontline-first" policy to ensure that qualified staff are not being diverted from ambulan…

1121. Deputy Donna McGettigan asked the Minister for Health the total number of management and supervisory roles within the National Ambulance Service created since 2020; the number of these roles filled by qualified paramedics who previously worked on the frontline; if an assessment has been made on the impact this 'internal brain drain' is having on ambulance response times in rural areas like West Clare; and if sh…

1122. Deputy Donna McGettigan asked the Minister for Health the current vacancy rate for frontline rostered positions in County Clare; the number of times in 2026 that an ambulance crew had to be split or a vehicle taken "off-road" because staff were diverted to attend mandatory administrative meetings or office-based training; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [34649/26]

500. Deputy Cathy Bennett asked the Minister for Health the number of paramedic vacancies that currently exist within the National Ambulance Service; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [33588/26]

501. Deputy Cathy Bennett asked the Minister for Health the reason candidates on panel NRS14276 have not yet been assigned posts with the National Ambulance Service; when those candidates can expect to be placed; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [33589/26]

502. Deputy Cathy Bennett asked the Minister for Health whether delays in placing qualified paramedics are affecting ambulance availability, staffing levels, and response capacity; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [33590/26]

924. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether she is informed of ambulance allocation or response delays exceeding defined thresholds, including delays exceeding 60 minutes. [32327/26]

925. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether ambulance dispatch timelines are formally linked to patient outcome monitoring or risk classification systems. [32328/26]

926. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether any national reporting framework exists for extreme ambulance delays and if such data is reported to her Department. [32329/26]

1148. Deputy Willie O'Dea asked the Minister for Health if she is aware that paramedics with the National Ambulance Service based in Dooradoyle, Limerick, intend to go on strike on 12 May 2026; her plans to intervene to attempt to resolve this dispute; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [32868/26]

1186. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether any internal dispatch-time performance targets, whether formal or informal, are applied within the National Ambulance Service for the allocation of 999 calls; and to provide details of same. [30204/26]

1187. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether any such dispatch-time performance metrics are documented within the HSE Enterprise Risk Register or any associated risk management framework; and if so, to provide details. [30205/26]

1188. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether any internal or external audits, reviews, or evaluations have examined ambulance dispatch timelines or allocation practices since 2020; and to provide the dates and headline findings of such reviews. [30206/26]

1189. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether her Department has issued any policy direction, guidance, or oversight framework governing ambulance dispatch prioritisation and allocation decisions; and to provide details. [30207/26]