Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I do not have an exact figure for what we will have by the end of the year because the acceptances are still coming in and the offers are still going out for the class that will start on 27 December. I know we will have between 700 and 800 but I do not have the finalised figure yet. We know that between 700 and 800 will have gone into the college this year. What we have always said is that we will have five classes and the 27 December class will obviously be the fifth one. Of course, we want as many trainees as possible to go in to the college this year and next year as well. That is why we will have a new recruitment campaign starting early in the new year. We will get that off the ground and moving on Friday, when I am in Templemore to meet the 150-odd recruits who will come out earlier than planned, about a month ahead of schedule. I commit to coming back to the Deputy information on the peer support numbers overall.

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