John McGuinness (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail)
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To ask the Minister for Health the arrangements that are in place to accommodate the transfer of paramedics within the ambulance service from one county to another; if there is a coordinated national human resource re-deployment scheme within the national ambulance service or if it his intention to establish such a scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1122/13]

James Reilly (Dublin North, Fine Gael)
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The HSE National Ambulance Service (NAS) signed a framework agreement with trade unions on staff transfers in February 2012. The Framework Agreement for Staff Transfers has been agreed through the Public Service Agreement (PSA) and the NAS is committed to developing this agreement further, through the PSA, to ensure a consistent approach to accessing transfers within the NAS. There is a nationally coordinated approach in place to ensure no local variation occurs and all transfers are transparently undertaken in line with the Agreement.  Under this process, almost 200 staff expressed an interest in transferring to their desired location, with approximately 30% taking up the opportunity to relocate.

Unfortunately, the number of staff who have expressed an interest in transferring to the North West far outnumbers the amount of vacancies in that area. The NAS is engaged with staff representatives to agree the criteria that determine the order in which staff gain access to any vacancies.