Seán Crowe (Dublin South West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Mr. Kenny has made an important point.

Before we move on to the management representatives in the next session, a point was made about staffing levels, a reduction of 20% in those levels and a reliance on overtime. Recently, we heard proposals from the Minister to fill vacancies. How would the witnesses respond to those proposals? Are they ambitious enough? Will they be sufficient to fill the gaps in the services?

In addition, regarding the joint emergency medical response model operating in the Dublin region, it has been suggested that paramedics be trained up in this regard. Donegal was mentioned earlier, and it has been suggested that this joint emergency medical response model should be replicated and rolled out across the country. Are staff skill sets countrywide sufficient to facilitate this model, or is the required availability unique to Dublin? Those are my two quick questions. Who would like to take them?