Joe Walsh (Cork South West, Fianna Fail)
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Question 390: To ask the Minister for Education and Science her plans to reduce the number of points required to gain entry to a medicine course in UCC for 2007. [39307/06]

Joe Walsh (Cork South West, Fianna Fail)
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Question 391: To ask the Minister for Education and Science her plans to increase the number of Irish students to be admitted to UCC to study medicine in 2007. [39308/06]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 390 and 391 together.

On the 1 February 2006 the Minister for Health and Children and I published the report of the Fottrell Working Group on Undergraduate Medical Education and Training. As part of these reforms I am increasing the annual number of undergraduate places for Irish and EU students from 305 to 485. I am also introducing a separate graduate entry stream which will provide 240 additional places per annum. These increases, which will be phased in over a five year period, will increase the annual number of medical places from 305 to 725.

At undergraduate level an additional 70 places have been provided this Autumn, with a further 40 places being provided in 2007 and a further 35 places in each of 2008 and 2009. It is anticipated that the Higher Education Authority will shortly issue a competitive call for proposals to provide the new graduate entry programme, with a view to additional places being provided on this programme from 2007.

In the interest of alleviating the enormous pressures of the high CAO points requirements, the Fottrell report recommended that Leaving Certificate results should no longer be the sole selection criterion for undergraduate entry. It proposes that all students with 450 Leaving Certificate points be considered for selection on the basis of a separate aptitude test. While I am a keen supporter of the fairness and objectivity of the points system, I recognise that the pressures on students wishing to study medicine to achieve an almost perfect Leaving Cert are excessive and unnecessary. There is a need however to ensure that the revised system will adequately reward strong academic performance, will provide an appropriate evaluation of aptitude and suitability for a career in medicine and will retain public confidence in its objectivity and fairness.

The Higher Education Authority established an Expert Group to develop a standardised test that, drawing on best international practice. I asked the HEA Expert Group to bring forward detailed proposals on a proposed new undergraduate selection system, to devise an appropriate selection test for use at undergraduate level and to advise on the logistics of its administration. The new entry procedures for undergraduate medical education will not be introduced for September 2007.