Ambulance Service

1801. Deputy Sorca Clarke asked the Minister for Health To ask the Minister for Health if her Department or the HSE has issued guidance to local management within NAS regarding the notice period provided to these paramedics, particularly in circumstances where some staff reportedly received notice only days before contract expiry. [18983/26]

1802. Deputy Sorca Clarke asked the Minister for Health whether a workforce planning assessment has been conducted to determine the operational need for permanent paramedic posts within NAS, having regard to sustained service demand and existing staffing pressures. [18984/26]

1803. Deputy Sorca Clarke asked the Minister for Health the assurances that can be provided to paramedics regarding a clear and timely pathway to permanent employment; if she will intervene to ensure transparency and fairness in how this matter is resolved. [18985/26]

1804. Deputy Richard O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Health the action her Department is taking to rectify the paramedic contract which was promised in 2022 (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [18995/26]

1823. Deputy Mattie McGrath asked the Minister for Health if she will explain the legal basis upon which the HSE and National Ambulance Service have departed from a 15 year established practice of offering permanent contracts to paramedics upon successful completion of their training; if she will address concerns that this departure constitutes a breach of the public law doctrine of legitimate exp…

1824. Deputy Mattie McGrath asked the Minister for Health if she is aware of the email issued by the National Ambulance Service on 18 December 2025 stating that permanent contracts would be offered to the graduating cohort once their degree results were finalised; if she accepts that this communication constituted an explicit promise of permanent employment; if she will outline the reason this com…

1825. Deputy Mattie McGrath asked the Minister for Health if she has assessed the personal, financial, and professional impact on the 76 newly qualified paramedics and others currently in training who relied on the long standing practice of automatic permanent contracts, including those who secured mortgages, started families, or declined other employment opportunities on the basis of this expecta…

1826. Deputy Mattie McGrath asked the Minister for Health the way in which the decision to withhold permanent contracts aligns with the acknowledged staffing shortages in the National Ambulance Service and the planned expansion of the frontline workforce in 2026; and if she will explain how this decision is compatible with the public interest; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [19140…

1827. Deputy Mattie McGrath asked the Minister for Health if she has evaluated the likely impact of this decision on recruitment and retention within the National Ambulance Service, particularly given the demanding nature of the role and the reliance on trainees who work full time while completing an honours degree; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [19141/26]

1828. Deputy Mattie McGrath asked the Minister for Health if she will instruct the HSE and NAS to reverse the decision to withhold permanent contracts from the 76 newly qualified paramedics and to reinstate the long standing practice for all current trainees, in order to uphold the principle of legitimate expectation and ensure workforce stability; and if she will make a statement on the matter. […

1844. Deputy Shane Moynihan asked the Minister for Health the steps her Department are taking to improve retention in the National Ambulance Service; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [19256/26]

1876. Deputy Réada Cronin asked the Minister for Health if her attention has been drawn to the shift in policy of the National Ambulance Service in relation to permanent contracts being granted to paramedics who complete a three year BSc course in Paramedic Studies; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [19378/26]

1911. Deputy Keira Keogh asked the Minister for Health the measures her Department is taking to ensure that permanent posts are available for graduate paramedics within the National Ambulance Service, in view of the pressures on ambulance services across the country; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [19461/26]

1914. Deputy Catherine Callaghan asked the Minister for Health the current number of emergency ambulances available to serve Carlow town and county; the measures being taken to address delays and increase ambulance capacity; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [19469/26]

1925. Deputy Ryan O'Meara asked the Minister for Health if she had any engagement with the National Ambulance Service recently following reports of changes to recruitment and the issuance of permanent contracts; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [19540/26]

1928. Deputy Séamus McGrath asked the Minister for Health to comment on the National Ambulance Service’s departure from its established practice of offering permanent contracts to paramedics upon completion of training; and the basis for issuing short-term specified purpose contract extensions to newly qualified paramedics while requiring participation in an internal recruitment competition for pe…

1962. Deputy Danny Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Health for an update on a matter regarding the National Ambulance Service (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [19722/26]

2016. Deputy Erin McGreehan asked the Minister for Health the recent changes to the practice of issuing permanent contracts to newly qualified paramedics in the National Ambulance Service; the reason for this change; when the change was brought to the attention of her Department; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [19970/26]

2017. Deputy Erin McGreehan asked the Minister for Health the number of newly qualified paramedics that have recently completed training with the National Ambulance Service but have not been issued permanent contracts. [19971/26]

2018. Deputy Erin McGreehan asked the Minister for Health the estimated cost of training a paramedic within the National Ambulance Service. [19972/26]

2019. Deputy Erin McGreehan asked the Minister for Health the current staffing shortfall within the National Ambulance Service. [19973/26]

2021. Deputy Ruth Coppinger asked the Minister for Health to reconsider a change in policy for awarding permanent contracts in an organisation (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [19978/26]

2022. Deputy Naoise Ó Cearúil asked the Minister for Health the reason newly qualified paramedics working full time as PHECC registered practitioners are required to reapply for their current roles; if she will confirm that no paramedic will face a period of unemployment as a result; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [19989/26]

2023. Deputy Naoise Ó Cearúil asked the Minister for Health if newly qualified paramedics who are placed on a recruitment panel will continue to receive temporary contracts until a permanent post becomes available; the arrangements that are in place to avoid gaps in employment; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [19990/26]

2024. Deputy Naoise Ó Cearúil asked the Minister for Health if she will address concerns that newly qualified paramedics may be required to accept posts beyond the 45 kilometre public service guideline; the way the National Ambulance Service intends to ensure safe commuting arrangements for staff working long shifts; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [19991/26]