Question from Deputy Ann Graves - PQ 16642-26

To ask the Minister for Health if she will address and resolve the unfair and unprecedented change to established practice of granting contracts to persons who successfully complete training (the established practise within the National Ambulance Service to date has been to offer permanent contacts to paramedics who successfully complete training, but now Staff have received email communication from NAS Human Resources on February 20th asking them to sign a 16-week contract extension. The email stated that the purpose of the extension was to enable staff to continue employment with NAS for long enough to apply for a permanent position through an internal recruitment competition. Staff were not given any details, whatsoever, about the recruitment competition or the permanent positions to which it relates,).