Paramedics employed by the National Ambulance Service work above and beyond the call of duty on a daily basis. Going out to work, they never know what difficulty or tragedy they may face. They undergo intensive training to qualify. This involves college, on-the-job training and a degree-level academic qualification. Successful qualification came with a commitment by the HSE of a permanent contract of employment. That commitment was reiterated to the current 76 trainees in an email which stated that a permanent contract will start from 29 December 2025 when results are received. Despite what is in the Taoiseach's briefing note, the HSE has now reneged on that commitment and paramedics have been told they must interview for their posts. This is a serious breach of trust by the HSE. I ask the Taoiseach to intervene to ensure these 76 trainees get permanent contracts of employment.

It seems I have got to the bottom of this in terms of the note. What has been said is not accurate. The HSE has confirmed that full-time permanent contracts are available for all year 3 graduates completing training with the National Ambulance Service, NAS. That is the case. To ensure a fair and transparent allocation of posts, graduates have been asked to apply through a confined internal competition. This is exactly how things operate in other parts of the health service, including for graduate nurses. Graduates have been asked to select their three preferred locations in a region from the available vacancies and every effort will be made to accommodate first preferences. However, where a vacancy is oversubscribed, the process being implemented will ensure a fair and equitable selection process has been established to allocate roles.

It seems to me that this has been overstated. Everyone is going to get a job.