James Lawless (Kildare North, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy for his kinds words to me and to the Minister of State, Deputy Harkin. We both look forward to serving this Department as a team and bettering the sector.

In terms of the Deputy's question, I am very interested in this area myself. I have made inquiries on it since I assumed the post. As the Deputy is probably aware, the HEA ran an expression of interest process in October 2022 to assess the capacity for expansion in key disciplines including veterinary medicine. Following the completion of the report and consultation with the Department of agriculture at the time, my Department directed the HEA to provide recommendations for the expansion of veterinary medicine education, having regard to competition, balanced regional provisional and diversity of approaches in delivery.

The HEA recommended the proposed programmes in Atlantic Technological University, ATU, and South East Technological University, SETU, be advanced. It is expected these programmes will have an annual intake of 80 additional veterinary students, which nearly doubles the current intake. My predecessor, and the then Minister for agriculture, Deputy McConalogue, accepted that recommendation at the time and jointly announced the planned expansion at the ploughing championships last year. Until that point, UCD was the sole provider of veterinary education in the State. The delivery of a veterinary medicine programme is complex. It involves specialist academic staff, appropriate facilities, laboratory equipment, curriculum development and accreditation is key as well. We can train vets but they need to have their granted accreditation to go out into the field. That programme validation is important as well.

The original estimated timeline for the ATU bachelor of veterinary medicine programme was estimated by the university to extend until September 2025. It recently released a statement that additional time would be necessary for them to validate the programme and to complete infrastructural development before the programme could open for application.

I have visited ATU and I have discussed this with its executive. The Deputy's question is on ATU but I have also visited SETU and had the same conservation with its executive because I am very keen that the veterinary programme should occur quickly. We need it. A significant number of students are studying in Poland and outside the State. The veterinary college in UCD has 90 students. That is inadequate. We need these additional 80 places but I am told by the colleges it will not be happening this year and they are saying it will be September 2026. I just advise the Deputy of that.

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