Colm Burke (Cork North Central, Fine Gael)
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290. To ask the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence if it is intended that new direct entry medical officers in the Defence Forces will be entered into the specialist division in general practice; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38257/22]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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There are currently two entry streams by which Medical Officers are recruited into the Defence Forces, namely Direct Entry and via the Military Medicine Training Scheme.

I am informed that there is currently no designated pathway for Direct Entry Medical Officers to be entered onto the Specialist Division of the Medical Council’s Register of Medical Practitioners in General Practice. Some Direct Entry Medical Officers may join the Defence Forces as specialists already, while others may choose to apply to the Medical Council to be entered onto the Register as specialists.

The Military Medicine Training Scheme does lead to Medical Officers being entered onto the Specialist Division of the Medical Council’s Register of Medical Practitioners, in both Military Medicine and General Practice. I am informed that a new intake via this stream is currently on hold pending the completion of a joint civil-military review of the scheme and the resolution of a number of outstanding administrative issues.

Colm Burke (Cork North Central, Fine Gael)
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291. To ask the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence if the military medicine training scheme to induct new medical practitioner trainees will be advertised in 2022 and if whatever barriers and issues which prevented such intake in 2021 will be removed and resolved; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38258/22]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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I am informed that the completion of a joint civil-military review of the Military Medicine Training Scheme is currently imminent, which will inform the process of future inductions. I am further informed that discussions remain ongoing between the various parties to the scheme regarding a number of outstanding administrative issues which will require resolution prior to the advertisement of a new intake.