Jennifer Murnane O'Connor (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

SIPTU, Fórsa and Unite are excellent unions and they are not the problem, because they do great work. The paramedics who have contacted me want to stay in NASRA. My understanding is there are approximately 500 members in NASRA. Paramedics or everyone else in this line of work do an excellent job and have been fighting for well over a year for NASRA, yet the HSE keeps saying "No". We need to have proper engagement and to come to some solution for these paramedics who want to stay in the union. It is important that the Department and the Minister for health examine how they can address the issue for the paramedics. They contacted me a few weeks ago and deserve an answer. They do great work. The other unions are excellent too; that is not in question. Paramedics have been fighting for this for so long. I do not know whether the Minister of State is aware that they have protested outside Leinster House on a number of occasions. We need to talk to them and to find a solution, as does the HSE. I will seek one and I hope we can find it.

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