Richard Bruton (Dublin North Central, Fine Gael)
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Question 690: To ask the Minister for Education and Science when a common science degree as an entry route to medical, veterinary and so on, will be put in place. [27626/06]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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On the 1 February 2006 the Tánaiste and I published the report of the Fottrell Working Group on Undergraduate Medical Education and Training. In addition the Tánaiste published the report of the Postgraduate Medical Education and Training Group. These reports represent the most significant review of medical education and training ever undertaken in Ireland and are aimed at responding to the needs of a changing health system and ensuring that medical education in Ireland is sufficiently resourced and developed to maintain our reputation for producing quality doctors into the future.

Among the recommendations of the Fottrell Group was that a graduate stream of entry to medicine be introduced and that all graduates of honours Bachelor degree programmes should be eligible to apply. It has been decided that graduate entry will be open to such graduates of all disciplines. The provision of a graduate entry stream is an important development in reducing pressures on aspiring medical students who until now have effectively had one chance of entry, based on their Leaving Certificate performance. This will allow students to make a decision to enter medicine at a more mature age and should result in a more diverse range of entrants into the profession.