Niall Collins (Limerick County, Fianna Fail)
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My Department is strongly committed to supporting the health of the population through the provision of graduates with the key competencies and skills to be effective in the health workforce, and support a range of clinical teams in our health services.

In both 2020 and 2021, in response to the extraordinary circumstances faced by Leaving Certificate students, and in order to offset the particular pressures faced by these students, I ensured that additional places on a wide range of higher education courses were made available in the higher education system. This ensured that more students than ever before could be offered a place in a third level course. These included additional places in nursing, medicine, pharmacy and a number of other health-related courses.

The Programme for Government commits the Department of Health to working with the education sectors, regulators, and professional bodies to improve the availability of health professionals and reform their training to support integrated care across the entire health service. My Department and I will continue to engage to ensure that we can continue to deliver graduates with the skills necessary to support our healthcare system and support the strategic workforce planning by the health sector.