Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

1996.To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the steps being taken to ensure that there is a further provision of places in third level institutions for students wishing to follow courses in pharmacy, veterinary medicine and medicine in order that there is an ample supply of graduates to meet demand; the colleges still being considered for these expanded or new courses; when a decision will be made as to which applicant colleges are successful; the years it is hoped to commence these courses in each case; the amount of money being provided by his Department to the HEA to develop these courses; the estimated full year cost of the courses when fully operational; and if he will make a statement on the matter.[35145/24]

Patrick O'Donovan (Limerick County, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

As the Deputy will be aware, the Higher Education Authority conducted an Expressions of Interest to identify options for substantial expansions across Medicine, Nursing, Pharmacy, Dentistry and Veterinary Medicine.

There are significant capital costs involved in progressing these options and it is important the scale of the costs is fully understood and planned for. The options identified have the potential to transform the numbers of students who can take up places in these programmes. This would represent a significant investment of public funding in our higher education institutions. I hope to be in a position to make announcements in relation to this in the coming weeks.

It is worth noting that a significant amount of additional places have been created in medicine, nursing and other health and social care discipline programmes, in the last number of years, within the existing infrastructure. The agreement with Irish Medical Schools to provide an additional 200 EU places by 2026, which began in 2022, is still ongoing. In September 2023 an additional 460 health discipline places were added, which included 255 Nursing Places.

In July this year, Government approved the prioritisation of funding to support the expansion of training places in priority healthcare areas including Speech and Language Therapy, Occupational Therapy and Physiotherapy.

This will contribute to delivering expansion in the region of 35% in these vital disciplines over the next two academic years. Additional places commencing in September 2024 include expanded intakes on Speech and Language Therapy, Occupational Therapy and Podiatric Medicine programmes in University of Galway, Physiotherapy in RCSI and the introduction of an undergraduate Occupational Therapy programme in University of Limerick.

It as also worth noting that 80 additional allied health places were made available in Ulster University in September 2023. These students are undertaking their practice education placements in healthcare settings in Northern Ireland. 140 places in Nursing & Midwifery are also being funded by the Department of Health across Ulster University and Queen's University Belfast. While these places were secured on a one-year basis, engagement is underway to extend the arrangements.

In February this year an agreement was reached with Queen’s University for the funding of twenty five (25) additional medical places in Queen’s from September 2024. An additional twenty five places will be available next year under the same arrangement. Students who take up one of these places will commit to applying and accepting, if offered, a position in the HSE as an intern at the end of their studies.