Parliamentary questions

306. Deputy Pa Daly asked the Minister for Health whether a decision has been taken to discontinue the long-standing practice whereby newly qualified paramedics employed by the National Ambulance Service on specified purpose contracts automatically transitioned to permanent contracts upon completion of training; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17698/26]

307. Deputy Pa Daly asked the Minister for Health the number of newly qualified paramedics in 2026 have been informed that they must now apply through an internal recruitment competition in order to secure permanent positions within the NAS, by region; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17701/26]

308. Deputy Pa Daly asked the Minister for Health the current number of vacant paramedic posts within the NAS, including a breakdown by county; and how requiring newly qualified paramedics to compete for permanent posts aligns with workforce planning needs; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17702/26]

309. Deputy Pa Daly asked the Minister for Health whether consultation took place with staff representatives or unions prior to any change in the pathway from SPC to permanent posts within the NAS; if she will provide details of such consultation; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17703/26]

310. Deputy Shay Brennan asked the Minister for Health the reason for the recent change in the long-established practice whereby newly qualified paramedics in the National Ambulance Service were offered permanent contracts upon completion of their training; the rationale for requiring the current cohort of graduating paramedics to instead apply for permanent positions through an internal recruitme…

311. Deputy Liam Quaide asked the Minister for Health the National Ambulance Service (NAS) operational area, management division and reporting unit that covers the towns and villages and rural hinterland of Midleton, Youghal, Carrigtwohill, Cobh, Aghada, Castlemartyr, Killeagh, Cloyne, Mitchelstown and Fermoy; and to clarify whether NAS reporting aligns with the new HSE Health Regions and Integrat…

312. Deputy Liam Quaide asked the Minister for Health the number of emergency incidents within the HSE South West’s Cork North and East Integrated Healthcare Area, in each of the years 2024 and 2025 where National Ambulance Service response times exceeded times (details supplied), by call priority and year, in tabular form. [17726/26]

313. Deputy Liam Quaide asked the Minister for Health the number of frontline emergency ambulances, rapid response vehicles and other National Ambulance Services resources routinely rostered to serve the HSE South West’s Cork North and East Integrated Healthcare Area (IHA), to cover Youghal to Midleton specifically; and the number of shifts or hours where cover was reduced or unavailable due to st…

314. Deputy Liam Quaide asked the Minister for Health the whole-time equivalent (WTE) staffing complement of the National Ambulance Service in the operational area identified as serving the east Cork towns of Midleton and Youghal listed, including, sanctioned posts, filled posts, vacant posts, staff on long-term leave, broken down by grade (paramedic, advanced paramedic, EMT, control staff and sup…

315. Deputy Liam Quaide asked the Minister for Health the whole-time equivalent (WTE) staffing complement of the National Ambulance Service serving the HSE South West’s Cork North and East Integrated Healthcare Area (IHA), including, sanctioned posts, filled posts, vacant posts, staff on long-term leave , broken down by grade (paramedic, advanced paramedic, EMT, control staff and support grades) f…

316. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Health the current waiting times for a child to undergo and then complete an assessment for autism; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17732/26]

317. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Health to give consideration to permitting reimbursement for parents who undergo a private assessment for autism for their child; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17733/26]

318. Deputy Denise Mitchell asked the Minister for Health the changes which have been made to the long-established process of automatic progression for paramedic graduates into full time employment with the National Ambulance Service; the rationale for any changes to this process; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17743/26]

319. Deputy Erin McGreehan asked the Minister for Health the date on which the HSE National Guidelines for Accessible Health and Social Care Services were last reviewed; the timetable for the planned review; and whether the review will include consultation with representative organisations for people with visual impairments. [17753/26]

320. Deputy Erin McGreehan asked the Minister for Health whether the updated guidelines will include mandatory minimum standards for communication with people who are blind or have low vision; if so, to provide the proposed standards; and to state the timeframe for implementation across all HSE services. [17754/26]

321. Deputy Erin McGreehan asked the Minister for Health what mechanisms will be put in place to ensure that any changes arising from the guidelines review are incorporated into mandatory staff training and local policies; and to provide an implementation timetable. [17755/26]

322. Deputy Erin McGreehan asked the Minister for Health the proportion of frontline HSE staff who have completed training on supporting patients with visual impairments in the last-24 months; to provide this data broken down by acute and community services; and to state what additional training will be provided following the guidelines review. [17756/26]

323. Deputy Erin McGreehan asked the Minister for Health what minimum training content and learning outcomes the HSE requires for staff who communicate with visually impaired patients; whether completion of this training is mandatory; and how compliance is monitored. [17757/26]

324. Deputy Erin McGreehan asked the Minister for Health whether the HSE has a central record of staff training on disability awareness and accessible communication; if not, whether the Minister will direct the HSE to establish one and provide a timeline. [17758/26]

325. Deputy Erin McGreehan asked the Minister for Health the current number and geographic distribution of HSE access officers across acute and community services; the criteria used to determine their placement; and to indicate whether a review of locations and staffing levels is complete or planned. [17759/26]

326. Deputy Erin McGreehan asked the Minister for Health what the standard operating procedure is for frontline staff to escalate complex accessibility queries to an access officer; the expected response times; and to provide data on average response times in the last 12-months. [17760/26]

327. Deputy Erin McGreehan asked the Minister for Health whether access officers have a defined set of competencies and continuing professional development requirements specific to visual impairment; if so, to provide details; if not, whether the Minister will require these to be established. [17761/26]

328. Deputy Erin McGreehan asked the Minister for Health what formats of patient information (for example large print, audio, braille, electronic text) are routinely available across HSE services; the percentage of services able to supply each format on request; and how patient format preferences are recorded and shared across services. [17762/26]

329. Deputy Erin McGreehan asked the Minister for Health whether the HSE requires a standardised process for recording and communicating reasonable adjustments and accessibility preferences in patient records; if so, to provide details and the implementation timetable; and if not, whether she will introduce such a requirement. [17763/26]

330. Deputy Erin McGreehan asked the Minister for Health the length of time it typically takes for a patient to receive information in an accessible format after requesting it; to provide average and maximum response times recorded in the past 12 months; and the targets which will be set following the guidelines review. [17764/26]