I propose to take Questions Nos. 534, 536, 538, 539, 540, 541, 542, 544, 545, 546, 558 and 559 together.
I have asked the Health Service Executive (HSE) to respond directly to the Deputy as soon as possible with any pertinent information that it may have in regard to the specific requests for data raised in his questions.
As outlined in my response to Question 580 on 12 February, my Department remains committed to increasing investment in the National Ambulance Service (NAS) to grow service capacity to meet the continuous increase in patient demand. Between 2020 and 2025 funding for the NAS has increased by over 60% and has helped to provide for a growth in staffing of nearly 30%, of which over 85% work in direct patient facing roles.
In 2026, the HSE has approved 263 posts to help further strengthen ambulance frontline emergency response capacity, intermediate care services and alternative care pathways, as well as provide for the establishment of a new Helicopter Emergency Medical Service (HEMS) serving the West and North-West of the country.
As outlined previously to the Deputy, each year the Health Service Executive's (HSE) National Service Plan (NSP) outlines the overarching goals across all of its operational areas. Within these goals specific draft Key Performance Indicators (KPI) targets are set out, which the HSE then agrees with my Department before the NSP is finalised and published.
Outside of the published KPIs the HSE maintains additional data which is used for the ongoing review of operational areas, including National Ambulance Service (NAS) performance and resourcing and such information is presented and considered by my Department including within the margins of the annual estimates process.
As the Deputy will be aware from my earlier answers, the HSE reports into my Department on a monthly basis on its performance against NSP KPIs and the performance results form the basis of ongoing engagement between my Department and the HSE throughout the year, with certain key performance areas escalated for attention where appropriate with a view toward achieving improvements.
