Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 11 June 2025
354. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Health the steps her Department is undertaking to allow qualified advanced paramedics who received their qualifications outside Ireland work for the National Ambulance Service; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [31043/25]
Amharc ar fhreagra355. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Health if she will engage with the HSE and the National Ambulance Service on the withdrawal of ambulance vehicles from advance paramedics-educational officers and resource managers; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [31044/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 354 and 355 together.
For practitioners who obtained their professional prehospital emergency care qualification outside of Ireland, they may apply to the Regulator of Pre-Hospital Emergency Care in Ireland, the Pre-Hospital Emergency Care Council (PHECC) to have their qualifications and experience assessed for recognition purposes. As there is no automatic recognition of qualifications from other jurisdictions, PHECC requires that each practitioner be assessed on an individual case-by-case basis.
The National Ambulance Service (NAS), through the HSE National Recruitment Service, conducts several recruitment competitions throughout the year to meet their workforce needs. Such competitions are open to all suitably qualified applicants who meet the necessary requirements for operational roles within the NAS.
In relation to the Deputy's specific question pertaining to the use by NAS staff of ambulance vehicles, as this is an operational matter for the National Ambulance Service (NAS) in the first instance, I have asked the Health Service Executive (HSE) to respond to the Deputy directly with any pertinent information it may have.
