Questions

1291. Deputy Donna McGettigan asked the Minister for Health to provide an update on work of the National Ambulance Service NRS panel; the number of potential employees that are on the panel; the number that have been recruited in the past year; the reason staff are not being called up from the panel given the staffing shortage; to confirm whether the disbandment of the panel is planned; and the plan for persons on th…

1292. Deputy Donna McGettigan asked the Minister for Health the reason ambulance call out response times have deteriorated in the past year despite a 14% reduction in the number of call outs. [65001/26]

1294. Deputy Donna McGettigan asked the Minister for Health to confirm that the NAS train 240 paramedics per year; the number which are employed by the NAS; and the number which are not. the reasons for that. [65000/26]

1295. Deputy Donna McGettigan asked the Minister for Health the number of medical interns produced each year who could be deployed to the NAS; the number which are so deployed; and the reason other interns are not deployed. [64999/26]

1296. Deputy Donna McGettigan asked the Minister for Health to ensure a community paramedic is based in both West Clare and North Clare where they can triage/treat patients locally in order to relieve the NAS, rather than have them based in Ennis. [64997/26]

1297. Deputy Donna McGettigan asked the Minister for Health to ensure a seven week roster is implemented for the NAS in Clare, complete with extra night crews in Kilrush and Ennistymon; and the rationale behind failing to do so. [64996/26]

317. Deputy Donna McGettigan asked the Minister for Health which was changed during Covid to one paramedic and an EMT and has never been changed back (details supplied); if she will ensure the previous standards are reinstated; her views that the current requirement constitutes a reduction in the level of care; if she will ensure that no new deal with unions will include the continuation of the current requirement; a…

1123. Deputy Donna McGettigan asked the Minister for Health the reason for HSE/National Ambulance Service (NAS) apparently not giving employment to the fully qualified and PHECC registered paramedics on NRS panels whilst the NAS struggles to fill rosters and provide full ambulance cover, including in county Clare; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [38795/26]

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]

1675. Deputy Donna McGettigan asked the Minister for Health to reinstate the recruitment pathways for qualified PHECC paramedics within the National Ambulance Service; the reason pathways to permanent employment were changed; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [18332/26]

1676. Deputy Donna McGettigan asked the Minister for Health the amount of money which was spent on private ambulance services by the health service in each of the years from 2020 to 2025; the anticipated cost for 2026, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [18334/26]

849. Deputy Donna McGettigan asked the Minister for Health the number of ambulances and number of paramedic cars stationed in each of the LEAs in County Clare, from 2020 to 2025, in tabular form; her plans to increase the number of both; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [51263/25]

732. Deputy Donna McGettigan asked the Minister for Health the steps he will take to ensure that an organisation (details supplied) is provided with home base facilities in Shannon and in every area required, to enhance its work supporting the emergency services; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [13590/25]