Rose Conway-Walsh (Mayo, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister. On to the figures, 302 qualified vets going on to the VCI register in 2022 shows a continuing rise year-on-year in the demand for vets. Some 70% of new vets entering the register were educated outside Ireland. That shows us the extent of the problem we have. We are agreed on that. We are deeply concerned that the panel lacks an independent expert on veterinary education, who has recent experience as a practising vet, to assess and deliver a new veterinary programme that would be appropriately accredited. It is paramount that the new programme for veterinary medicine is fit for purpose and meets the standards set out by the regulatory bodies such as the Veterinary Council of Ireland, as the Minister said, but also the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons, RCVS. The Minister has agreed with me on so many occasions that we have to look at the delivery of something like veterinary on an all-island basis. We cannot have an add-on situation. We are at a real crossroads here and we can get this right. There is an onus on us all, and on the Minister, to get it right in terms of what we are going to deliver here.

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