Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

There are two main factors driving my approach to addressing issues with medical education: ensuring we produce enough doctors to meet the requirements of our healthcare system and our society and providing more places for students in a context where the level of demand has consistently exceeded the number of places available.

It was encouraging this year that, for the first time in a long number of years, when the CAO offers came out for undergraduate medicine, we saw a fall in the points required.

Last year, the Minister for Health and I announced an agreement with Irish medical schools to increase the number of places available for EU students by 200 over the next five years. This began with an additional 16 students in September 22, climbing to 122 in September 2023 and to 200 by 2026. This agreement included additional graduate entry medicine places. To date, an additional ten graduate entry places, with five in 2022 and another five in 2023, have been created, while the other 110 places were on direct entry programmes. The Deputy will also be aware of the work we are doing on an all-island basis. From next September, we are enabling access to medical education on an all-island basis through the work we have done with the University of Ulster in Derry and Queen's University in Belfast.

As the Deputy knows, the free fees initiative pays the tuition fees of eligible students undertaking their first full-time undergraduate programme. The free fees initiative does not meet fees in respect of students who are completing a second undergraduate degree. For better or worse, that is currently how the graduate entry medicine programme is classified. However, unlike for other second undergraduate degree programmes, the State provides a subsidy to institutions towards the cost of provision. The tuition fees payable by students are determined by the higher education institutions, taking the availability of this subsidy into account. In the academic year 2022-23, the State contribution was €12,100 per students, the balance of fees being payable by the student. This State subsidy is now being increased incrementally. The State contribution for graduate entry medicine places this year is €14,500.

Regarding funding for graduate entry medicine, Department is also working with the Department of Health on these matters. I am sympathetic and supportive of the case being put forward by graduate entry medical students. We need to find a way that works and does not have unintended knock-on consequences because the policy direction has always been that we have the free fees initiative for one undergraduate degree programme. We need to tease our way through that. I have given a commitment to meet graduate entry medicine students in the coming weeks.

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