Mr. Martin Dunne:

I can confirm it later.

Advanced paramedics are highly skilled members of the ambulance staff. It takes two years of training and we are committed to a continuous training programme in this area, no matter the economic environment. Up to 300 advanced paramedics are available and are rostered on duty with a paramedic to ensure a skills-mix on board an ambulance. They are also rostered to be on rapid response vehicles to deliver emergency hospital care while waiting for a transporting vehicle. In 2015, we are scheduled to train a further 40 advanced paramedics which will bring us to a complement of 350. We are working to having 40% of the operational staff complement, not 60%, being advanced paramedics. It is a two-year window so there is a continuous roll-over.

There are three skills models available to the national ambulance service, NAS. First, the emergency medical technicians who are used predominantly-----