Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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253. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if it is proposed to increase the number of places on first-year medicine courses for Irish students in 2022; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35190/22]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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Ensuring an appropriate pipeline of suitably qualified healthcare professionals is a key priority. The challenges presented by Covid-19 have given extra urgency to the need to address the long-term workforce planning needs of the health system.

My Department has been engaging with the Department of Health on the number of places available in areas where the HSE has identified significant skills shortages. The areas identified include places in healthcare disciplines such as medical professionals.

In the coming weeks the Minister for Health and I will bring a memo to Government to outline a five-year plan to secure extra places in medicine. The first of these places will be available in September 2022.

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.  I will ensure that there is continued engagement with all stakeholders to ensure that we deliver graduates with the skills necessary to support our healthcare system and support the strategic workforce planning by the health sector.

Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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254. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if it is proposed to increase places for students wishing to pursue healthcare courses in different therapy disciplines in universities for the upcoming academic year; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35191/22]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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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. 

I recently announced an additional 1,056 college places for the upcoming academic year, which includes healthcare and welfare courses. These additional places will be a permanent addition to the system.

Officials in my Department will continue to engage with the Higher Education Authority and representatives from the higher education sector on expanding third level provision in targeted programmes, with a focus on areas such as healthcare, where there is a need for more skilled graduates. However there are real, material limits on the immediate increases that can be accommodated on highly practical courses such as healthcare courses which involve clinical placements.

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.  I will ensure that there is continued engagement with all stakeholders to ensure that we deliver graduates with the skills necessary to support our healthcare system and support the strategic workforce planning by the health sector.