Victor Boyhan (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I agree with and support the Order of Business for today. I commend Fine Gael, in particular, on its Private Member's motion on family carers. It will be an interesting debate, an active and robust one. I note that my colleague, Senator Tom Clonan, has submitted amendments to the motion, on which I will be speaking.I hope there will be good attendance in this House for what is a very important matter. I thank Fine Gael for using its Private Members’ time. I look forward to engaging on that later.

Yesterday, I raised the issue of vets. I singled out Rachel Brown, the newly elected president of the Veterinary Council who hails from Ballina in the Leader’s lovely County Mayo. I wish to follow on from that because as a result of it, I received a number of calls about the need to escalate the focus on a new veterinary faculty for Ireland. We know there is enormous pressure for people wanting to train to be vets in Ireland and we know there are more Irish veterinary students in Poland and Hungary than in Ireland. We clearly have an issue with UCD being the only veterinary school in the country, with demand for 85 first year undergraduate places far outstretching supply. We have a challenge and an issue. We also know from statistics provided by UCD that in 2022, there were 581 applications for the course, so there was keen competition for it. The CAO points are in excess of 600. That is enormous. There is a lack of places at graduate entry level and we need to address that. The lack of student places is forcing many students abroad. It is not by choice but they are keen to become veterinary surgeons.

There is huge pressure by the vets to establish a faculty in Munster and I can understand why. I would love to see another faculty in the south, or certainly up near Northern Ireland. I think there are perhaps synergies with Queens University for another faculty of veterinary medicine on the island of Ireland. The Veterinary Council has expressed concerns about the shortage of vets, particularly for large farm animals.

I wish to renew a call for another area, namely, modular, practical, hands-on and academic learning for farm technicians. There is a real opportunity for farm technicians. We do not need veterinary surgeons doing everything. We know with large animal practice that many people who do not or cannot make the grade for various reasons would like to pursue a new, improved syllabus for the term “veterinary technicians”. I call for this again. Clearly, there is a need.

I think the Higher Education Authority has overall responsibility for this area. I ask that the Leader arrange for the Minister, Deputy Harris, or the appropriate Minister responsible for this area to come and have a short debate setting out the Government plans for a new veterinary faculty in Ireland.