Barry Ward (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)
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885. To ask the Minister for Health if her attention has been drawn to concerns related to the cessation of advanced paramedic training courses operated by the National Ambulance Service; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [7492/25]

Barry Ward (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)
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886. To ask the Minister for Health if her attention has been drawn to concerns related to low level of recruitment of advanced paramedics; the actions she will take to address these concerns; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [7493/25]

Jennifer Carroll MacNeill (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 885 and 886 together.

As the Deputy may be aware, Advanced Paramedic is a level of prehospital clinical practice, where practitioners are registered at that level with the national regulator, the Pre-Hospital Emergency Care Council (PHECC). There is no specific employment grade of Advanced Paramedic within the Health Service Executive (HSE), hence a variety of grades of staff serving within the National Ambulance Service (NAS) may have registration with PHECC at Advanced Paramedic level.

The HSE NAS delivers a broad range of prehospital care services to the public depending on the type and level of patient clinical need, including frontline urgent and emergency care. As such, NAS training needs are determined by the expected cohort of staff that are required to meet ever evolving prehospital service requirements, as well as expected future vacancies.

I have asked the Health Service Executive (HSE) to respond to the Deputy directly with any further pertinent information it may have concerning the training and recruitment of NAS practitioners.