Mr. David O'Flynn:

It is the number of overall places, yes. The dental council's role in this relates to the quality of the programme rather than the number. The number is pretty much at the discretion of the colleges and dental schools to determine. The number in the CAO system is set through the HEA funding model.

There are a number of additional places that schools use. This is not common just to the two schools in Ireland, it is an international practice in which places are given to fee-paying students who pay a higher rate. Effectively, it is used as part of balancing a budget-----