Patrick O'Donovan (Limerick County, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I will answer the question regarding nursing and medicine first. Ensuring an appropriate pipeline of suitably qualified professionals in nursing and medicine is a key priority for me and my Department. I want to build on the progress made in the past few years in expanding the number of places in these disciplines. In 2020 and 2021, in response to particular circumstances relating to the pandemic, temporary once-off places were created. In nursing, 134 places were created in 2020 and 205 were created in 2021. Recognising the requirement for systemic expansion, substantial permanent expansion has been introduced in more recent years, with 135 nursing and midwifery places created in 2022 and a further 255 in 2023. In addition, 140 places were made available in Northern Ireland in 2023 for students from this jurisdiction.

In July 2022, a landmark agreement was reached between the medical schools, the Department and the Department of Health to increase the number of annual medicine places available for Irish and EU students by 200 by 2026. This increase is being phased in and 160 of the 200 places will be available for Irish and EU students from this September. This represents a huge increase in the existing infrastructure. An agreement was also reached in February with Queen's University Belfast for the funding of 25 additional medical places there from September 2024. These places will be cofunded by my Department and the Department of Health. 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. I will continue to work with all relevant stakeholders, including the HSE, to provide sustainable expansion of places in healthcare programmes across the island of Ireland.

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