Joe O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Senators for raising this matter. I am taking it on behalf of the Minister, Deputy Harris, and the Minister of State, Deputy Niall Collins, who are unable to be here.

The Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science is committed to engaging with all Departments and industry representative bodies to support them in their workforce planning needs. Officials meet regularly with colleagues in other Departments on workforce planning, particularly the Departments of Health, Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth, and Education. This collaboration is vital. The Department stands ready to help others articulate their workforce needs and to establish whether increased provision is required.

In regard to therapy disciplines, a joined-up approach with the Departments of Health, Education and Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth is necessary to determine system-level demand in any given discipline. Officials have met with the relevant Departments to discuss the requirements in the disability-related therapy teams. Ongoing engagements are planned to progress this work. Officials from the Department were also represented on the interdepartmental working group tasked with developing an action plan for disability services. The Department will work with the HSE and the Departments of Health and Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth to progress actions arising out of the plan. The provision of healthcare through the therapies area is complex and involves many different parts of the system. The availability of appropriate placements and placement supports is a key enabler of this expansion. Engagement with the relevant Departments on these issues is ongoing.

When increasing capacity in any area of the education system, it is vital it is done in a sustainable way that maintains the high quality for which our education system is known.Earlier this year, the Minister, Deputy Harris, published Funding the Future, the Department's ambitious policy to address funding issues in the higher education sector, improve the quality of programmes and learning outcomes, and reduce the cost of education to students and their families.

Five priority strands of work were identified in the funding and reform framework one of which, specifically relates to driving skills and engagement, with a particular focus on essential public services. Work on these pillars of reform is being addressed through the Funding the Future reform and implementation group, which is chaired by the Minister, Deputy Harris, and its associated subgroups, led by co-chairs Professor Tom Collins and Professor Anne Looney.

The Higher Education Authority recently sought expressions of interest from higher education institutions interested in building capacity in dentistry, pharmacy, medicine, nursing and veterinary from academic year 2024-2025 or 2025-2026. This process was designed to respond swiftly to national skills needs and expressions of interest were sought from institutions with capability to expand existing courses in these areas. Crucially, the HEA has indicated that it hopes to run a further expression of interest in respect of therapy disciplines next year.