Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions
Dail Éireann — 2026-05-13
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Micheál Martin (FF), Cork South-Central

First, I have always acknowledged the critical role that those who work in the National Ambulance Service play in our health service. The Deputy said she does not know what I see when I look at a paramedic. I was critically involved at an earlier time, as Minister for Health, in the professionalisation of the first responder service. I have the greatest and highest of respect for the transformation that has occurred. It has been a good transformation. We have modernised the first responder approach in medicine and in health. That is critical in terms of the acute service, but, more importantly, it is critical in terms of patient outcomes and the outcomes of very serious accidents or developments or cardiac arrests or whatever. The first responder is key. The fact that we have professionalised and modernised that is a good thing. We have always acknowledged and the State has always accepted that pay structures need to be modernised. I refer to the previous engagement at the WRC. I said this to the Deputy yesterday. It is very dishonest of her to say that this has been ignored for six years. That is not the case. Negotiations took place. There was engagement at the WRC. It concluded with significant outcomes, in particular, the State offering pay increases of between 3% to 14% linked to reform. This was on top of the 9.25% increase under the current public service agreement. While union leadership did recommend this proposal to their members, it was rejected by staff following a ballot.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/dail/2026-05-13/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-09-14T01:01:03+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-05-13