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]
Topics / Ambulance Service
A subject heading for parliamentary questionsAmbulance Service
860 questions from 114 TDs, between 22 January 2025 and 20 October 2026.
860
questions
852 written, 8 oral
114
TDs have asked
11
parties and groups
Independents counted together
5
departments asked
Questions per month
The record holds no questions for August, when the Dáil does not sit.
Jan 2025Oct 2026
Show as a table
| Month | Questions |
|---|---|
| January 2025 | 9 |
| February 2025 | 52 |
| March 2025 | 34 |
| April 2025 | 40 |
| May 2025 | 28 |
| June 2025 | 19 |
| July 2025 | 18 |
| August 2025 | 0 |
| September 2025 | 29 |
| October 2025 | 20 |
| November 2025 | 21 |
| December 2025 | 7 |
| January 2026 | 24 |
| February 2026 | 100 |
| March 2026 | 112 |
| April 2026 | 72 |
| May 2026 | 177 |
| June 2026 | 34 |
| July 2026 | 16 |
| August 2026 | 0 |
| September 2026 | 34 |
| October 2026 | 14 |
Who asks, by party
The party each TD belonged to on the day, in alphabetical order. Parties differ a lot in size, and members of the Government answer questions rather than ask them, so this shows who raised it, not how much a party cares about it.
The TDs who asked most
Members of the Government answer questions rather than ask them. Each question counts once.
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267
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49
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31
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25
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23
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21
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19
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18
Asked of
Debated under the same heading
Debates whose official heading is exactly these words.
The questions
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]
1190. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether she is satisfied that the current ambulance dispatch framework adequately balances response speed with geographic efficiency and regional capacity constraints; and whether any formal assessment of this balance has been conducted. [30208/26]
1191. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether any national or regional performance benchmarks exist for ambulance call allocation times, and if so, how compliance with such benchmarks is monitored and reported. [30209/26]
1192. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether any standardised methodology is used across regions to ensure consistency in dispatch decision-making within the National Ambulance Service. [30210/26]
1193. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether any central dataset is maintained capturing dispatch times from call receipt to resource allocation, and whether such data is reported to her Department. [30211/26]
1194. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether any discrepancies or regional variations in ambulance dispatch times have been identified in the past three years; and how such variations have been addressed. [30212/26]
1195. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether the current dispatch framework has been subject to any international benchmarking or comparison with equivalent emergency medical services systems; and to provide details. [30213/26]
1196. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether the HSE or her Department maintains any oversight mechanism to assess the impact of dispatch timelines on patient outcomes; and to provide details. [30214/26]
1197. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether any formal risk assessments have been conducted regarding delays in ambulance allocation or dispatch; and whether such risks are recorded within the HSE risk management system. [30215/26]
1198. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether ambulance dispatch performance forms part of any key performance indicator framework monitored by her Department; and to provide details. [30216/26]
1199. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether any reporting framework exists for extreme delays in ambulance allocation, including delays exceeding defined time thresholds; and to provide details. [30217/26]
1200. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether any reforms are planned to enhance transparency or reporting of ambulance dispatch performance metrics. [30218/26]
1201. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether any internal governance structures exist within the National Ambulance Service to review dispatch decision-making practices on a recurring basis. [30219/26]
1202. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether any independent oversight body, including the Pre-Hospital Emergency Care Council, has conducted a review of dispatch practices or standards in Ireland since 2020. [30220/26]
1203. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether the absence of a defined national dispatch-time standard has been formally considered as a governance or operational risk. [30221/26]
1204. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether any modelling or capacity analysis has been conducted to assess the relationship between ambulance availability, dispatch timelines, and regional demand pressures. [30222/26]
1205. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Health whether any plans are in place to introduce a nationally standardised dispatch performance framework, including measurable allocation time targets. [30223/26]
1206. Deputy Michael Collins asked the Minister for Health the extent to which adequate on-site laundering facilities are available to National Ambulance Service staff; her views on whether limited access to shared facilities in some cases involving a single washing machine for large numbers of staff across day and night shifts results in paramedics being forced to launder uniforms at home at their own expense; and i…
1222. Deputy Michael Collins asked the Minister for Health the reason a person (details supplied) waited three hours and ten minutes for an ambulance after it was requested by SouthDoc in Bantry on the night of 14 April 2026; whether this response time complies with HSE and National Ambulance Service targets for potentially life threatening respiratory emergencies; the measures she is taking to ensure that patients i…
1229. Deputy Peter 'Chap' Cleere asked the Minister for Health the number of instances where ambulances in Carlow and Kilkenny did not arrive within the targeted timeframe in 2023, 2024 and 2025; and the longest period that a person waited. [30397/26]
115. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health the steps she will take to avert industrial action among ambulance workers, the steps she is taking to meet the ambition of the ambulance service's strategic workforce plan and if she will make a statement on the matter. [28517/26]
120. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Health the number of instances in 2023 to 2025, inclusive, when ambulances in Cavan and Monaghan did not arrive within the targeted timeframe; and the longest period that a person waited. [28365/26]