Willie O'Dea (Limerick City, Fianna Fail)
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Question 42: To ask the Minister for Education and Skills his views on a recent review of the entry exam HPAT for medical schools which has shown that the exam has done little to widen access to the profession; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30964/12]

Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour)
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The selection criteria for admission to medical programmes are determined by the higher education institutions in line with their statutory autonomy in academic affairs.

The introduction of HPAT in 2009 had regard to the findings of the Working Group on Undergraduate Medical Education & Training: Medical Education in Ireland: A New Direction (the Fottrell report). It recommended that the Leaving Certificate results should no longer be the sole selection method for entry to medical education at undergraduate level, but that a two stage mechanism should be applied consisting of the results obtained in Leaving Cert and a standardised admissions test which would assess non academic skills and attributes regarded as important for the practice of medicine.

The medical schools committed to having a review of the new entry mechanism within 3 years of its introduction and the outcome of this review is awaited. Any issues arising from the review in relation to the entry process will be for the medical schools to address.