Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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127. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if he will abolish the fees for graduate entry medicine programmes, given the chronic shortage of doctors across the country; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51701/22]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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The total level of fees charged to Graduate Entry Medicine students is a matter for the higher education institutions, consistent with the principle of their institutional autonomy. However, the State does provide support to institutions for Graduate Entry Medicine programmes in order to widen access and assist the students pursuing these programmes.

In this context, the fees of EU students enrolled in graduate entry medicine are partly subsidised by the state via the Higher Education Authority. As of the 2021/2022 academic year, the State contribution is €11,950 per student per year. The balance of fees is payable by the student.

In July 2022, Government approved a proposal from the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science and the Department of Health to increase the number of medicine places per annum by 200 by 2026, and move the funding of medicine places to a more sustainable basis. This has included an increase of 60 in 2022. 55 of these places are on direct entry programmes, and 5 are Graduate Entry Medicine.

For new Graduate Entry Medicine places, the State contribution will increase to €14,500 per student per year. For existing places, the State’s contribution will also be increased to this level on a phased basis.

The Student Grant Scheme Review comments on the issue of Graduate Entry Medicine and states that a wider issue remains as to whether greater flexibility in the criteria for the student grant scheme could be considered in areas of critical skills shortage reflecting graduate entry routes. There are significant policy, legislative and funding considerations, as well as wider implications, if the current treatment of graduate entry medicine were to be amended. However, all elements of the review will be subject to consideration by my Department through the annual estimates processes.

The National Plan for Equity of Access to Higher Education (NAP) identifies target groups that are currently under-represented in higher education. These include entrants from socio-economic groups that have low participation in higher education who would not have considered attending higher education without such supports. The Programme for Access to Higher Education (PATH) Fund is the funding mechanism established to implement the National Access Plan (NAP). There are three strands to the Programme for Access to Higher Education (PATH). Strand 2 provides bursaries (1916 Bursary) to students who have been identified by their higher education institution as being the most socio-economically disadvantaged students in the target groups under the National Access Plan. I have recently changed the rules so that students who hold a 1916 Bursary may continue their bursary if they wish to participate in Graduate Entry Medicine.

Students on Graduate Entry Medicine courses may also be eligible to apply to the Student Assistance Fund (SAF) 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. Details of this fund are available from the Access Office in the third level institution attended. This fund is administered on a confidential, discretionary basis.

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, www.revenue.ie.