Questions

2132. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether the Department of Health receives any routine reporting from the Health Service Executive regarding extreme outlier emergency ambulance response times, including delays exceeding 60 minutes for life-threatening emergencies; the format in which such information is reported; and whether this information forms part of Departmental oversight of patient safety…

2133. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether the Department of Health Enterprise Risk Management Framework currently identifies prolonged emergency ambulance response times as a strategic or operational risk; and if so, the risk rating assigned and the mitigation measures identified. [20327/26]

2134. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether her Department has undertaken or commissioned any review since 2020 examining the relationship between prolonged ambulance response times and patient outcomes in Ireland; and if so, the title and date of any such review. [20328/26]

2135. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether her Department has considered the introduction of national reporting requirements for extreme ambulance response delays for life-threatening emergencies in order to strengthen transparency and patient safety oversight. [20329/26]

2136. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether the governance arrangements between her Department and the Health Service Executive require the HSE to notify the Department where systemic patterns of prolonged ambulance response delays emerge; and if so, the mechanism through which such notification occurs. [20330/26]

2138. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether her Department has approved, endorsed or accepted a policy position that emergency ambulance response delays exceeding 60 minutes in life-threatening clinical status 1 purple or red calls do not automatically constitute patient safety incidents requiring review under the HSE Incident Management Framework; and if such a policy position exists, to provide t…

2191. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Minister for Health if she will review correspondence (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [20533/26]

18. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether she accepts that emergency ambulance responses to clinical status 1 purple and red calls exceeding 60 minutes represent a patient safety failure; when she first became aware that such extreme delays are not included in published National Ambulance Service performance indicators; whether she considers a system acceptable in which more than half of red life-t…

25. Deputy Noel McCarthy asked the Minister for Health the measures being taken by her Department to increase the provision of ambulance services in the east Cork area; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17705/26]

46. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Health if there are any plans to address the fact that ambulances are regularly queued outside hospitals waiting to hand over patients to ED staff, and that national response targets have not been met since October 2025; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17525/26]

69. Deputy Conor D. McGuinness asked the Minister for Health if she will intervene regarding the change to a long-established practice of offering permanent National Ambulance Service contracts to paramedics who successfully completed training. [17637/26]

108. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Health when the rapid response vehicle in Roscommon will be reinstated on a 24/7 basis as promised; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [15790/26]

109. Deputy Tony McCormack asked the Minister for Health the average ambulance response times in County Offaly in each of the past two years; how these compare with national targets; whether additional National Ambulance Service resources are planned for the region; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17612/26]

114. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health her plans to improve the ambulance service; if she has examined implementing physician-staffed helicopter emergency medical services in this State; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17634/26]

115. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Health if she has engaged with the National Ambulance Service on the rapid response vehicle in Roscommon; when it will be reinstated to 24/7 cover; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [15791/26]

116. Deputy Joe Neville asked the Minister for Health to reinstate the permanent contracts which were previously offered to graduating paramedics, following the recent decision by the HSE and the NAS that they would only be offered a 16-week contract; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17745/26]

118. Deputy Marie Sherlock asked the Minister for Health the reason, in the context of significant pressures on the National Ambulance Service, newly qualified paramedics have been informed that they must reapply to retain their jobs; the reason the break of this long-established practice has occurred; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17505/26]

504. Deputy Naoise Ó Cearúil asked the Minister for Health the reason for recent changes (details supplied) relating to paramedics in the National Ambulance Service; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17926/26]

519. Deputy Michael Murphy asked the Minister for Health whether there has been a change in policy within the National Ambulance Service regarding the transition of graduating paramedics from specified purpose contracts to permanent positions; the reason for requiring an internal competition process; the number of paramedics which are affected in 2026; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17908/26]

540. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Health to provide further clarification and reasoning behind the changes within the HSE to the employment opportunities for paramedics; if she will ensure that the 80 paramedics who have recently qualified will be guaranteed permanent contracts, given they had been informed that would happen at the beginning of their contracts; if she has considered reversing the cha…

551. Deputy Louis O'Hara asked the Minister for Health if her attention has been drawn to the recent change that means that newly qualified paramedics are no longer being offered permanent positions within the National Ambulance Service (details supplied); whether the Department of Health was made aware of this change; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17992/26]

552. Deputy Willie O'Dea asked the Minister for Health if her attention has been drawn to the problems encountered by recently qualified paramedics in gaining employment with the National Ambulance Service; if she believes that the paramedic qualification should effectively remain tied to a single employer; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17993/26]

553. Deputy Fionntán Ó Súilleabháin asked the Minister for Health if she will engage with the National Ambulance Service (NAS) following reports that approximately 80 newly qualified paramedics received an email from the NAS instructing them to sign a 16-week contract extension in order to remain in employment long enough to apply for a permanent position; the reason no prior engagement or warning was provided to the…

586. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Health the reason 80 newly qualified paramedics who have completed a three year BSC in Paramedic Studies and all necessary examinations, placements and assessments will not move to permanent roles in the National Ambulance Service in what is a break from established practice. [18121/26]

271. Deputy Conor D. McGuinness asked the Minister for Health the circumstances under which an ambulance can be provided to transport a vulnerable patient to hospital appointments; if she believes that these circumstances apply to a person (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17390/26]