Matt Carthy (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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532. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills his plans to waive the fee for an institute (details supplied) for medical professionals who studied in the UK in view of the fact that mutual recognition of qualifications is an EU competence; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5430/21]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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The Institute in question is a private body. It does not fall under the remit of this Department and is not designated as a Competent Authority under Directive 2005/36/EC on the recognition of professional qualifications.

The Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science has no role in the setting of fees by this Institute.

Rose Conway-Walsh (Mayo, Sinn Fein)
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533. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if students enrolled in a graduate entry medical course can secure a loan for their fees if their parents are not in a financial position to guarantee the loan; if he will provide details of the other options available to students struggling to afford the €16,000 fees; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5526/21]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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The fee payable by a student can vary depending on a variety factors including the type of course and the student's access route including previous education. Entry to medicine in Irish HEIs is provided through both undergraduate and graduate entry routes.

Under the Department's Free Fees Initiative, the Exchequer pays tuition fees on behalf of eligible first time undergraduate students attending approved full-time undergraduate courses (including medicine courses). In order to qualify for funding under the Department’s Free Fees Initiative, students must meet the criteria of the scheme including previous education attainment.

Graduate Entry Medicine (GEM) is one of the pathways to study undergraduate medicine. One of the recommendations of the Fottrell report (2006) was the introduction of a new graduate entry medicine programme (GEM). Students pursuing GEM programmes do so as second degree courses and consequently are not eligible for free fees funding or for student grants.

However, in order to widen access to GEM programmes, and give assistance towards the financial burden on each student pursuing these programmes, the fees of participating EU students are partly subsidised by the State via the HEA. Currently, the subsidy is €11,200 per student (2019/20 academic year) with the balance of fees payable by the student.

Higher Education Institutions are autonomous bodies and are responsible for their own day-to-day management and operational affairs, including the management of academic affairs. They retain the right to determine their own policies and procedures. The total level of fees to be charged in the case of GEM fees are therefore solely a matter for the relevant institution to determine in line with its own criteria.

There is no Department supported loan scheme in place for GEM students. There are various loans available for GEM students but these are private arrangements between the relevant lenders and the students applying for such loans and my Department has no role in such arrangements.

In terms of supports offered by institutions, HEIs may also offer financial support for students on such courses e.g. a  Atlantic Philanthropies-funded scholarship in UL for students who entered their undergraduate degree through an access route but this, along with overall admissions processes, is a matter for each HEI. 

Students on graduate entry medicine courses may be eligible to apply to the Student Assistance Fund for financial support. The SAF guidelines provide that students with a previous higher education qualification at the same NFQ level, or who, in the past, attended higher education without ultimately obtaining a qualification, may be considered for support on a case-by-case basis and subject to available funding.

In addition, tax relief at the standard rate of tax may also be available in respect of tuition fees paid for approved courses at approved colleges of higher education. Further information on this tax relief is available from a student's local Tax Office or from the Revenue Commissioners website,