Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

As the Deputy knows, it is an objective of the Government to improve ambulance response times throughout the country. To achieve that, we have increased the budget of the National Ambulance Service every year for four or five years. That has allowed for the purchase of new ambulances, improvements to ambulance bases and technology, pay restoration for staff, and new posts. I understand that there can be difficulties with recruitment, as is the case across the economy. With regard to industrial relations issues in any specific part of the public service, neither I nor any Minister can get directly involved but I will certainly make the Minister for Health aware that Deputy Smyth raised it here.

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