Patricia Ryan (Kildare South, Sinn Fein)
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180. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills his plans to increase the availability of third level places for pharmacy students; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52347/22]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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The matter of health workforce planning and ensuring an appropriate pipeline of qualified healthcare workers within Ireland, is a major priority for my Department. 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, including pharmacists.

Officials in my Department have been engaging with colleagues in the Medicines, Controlled Drugs and Pharmacy Legislation Unit within the Department of Health in relation to Pharmacy workforce planning.

Officials from my Department have also been engaging extensively with the Higher Education Authority and the higher education sector to identify where additional places can and should be provided in the higher education system. The Higher Education Authority are currently developing a request for Expressions of Interest to issue to the sector targeted specifically at healthcare provision, including Pharmacy. 

Patricia Ryan (Kildare South, Sinn Fein)
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181. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the reason that Maynooth University terminated the construction of the new student centre project; the status of levies paid by students to fund the centre; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52348/22]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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Maynooth University recently informed my Department that its’ Governing Authority has taken the difficult decision to terminate the Maynooth University Student Centre contract.

My Department does not have any direct involvement in the project in question, as no direct exchequer funding was being provided by my Department for this project, which was solely being funded by European Investment Bank borrowings serviced by income from a student levy. However, all capital projects advanced by publicly funded Higher Education Institutions must comply with the provisions of the Public Spending Code. I understand following detailed consideration on a number of matters, including the risk associated with continuing with a project that would breach the Public Spending Code, the Governing Authority decided to terminate the contract.

Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) are governed by the Universities Act 1997, the Institutes of Technologies Acts 1992 to 2006 and the Technological Universities Act 2018. Within the meaning of these Acts, HEIs are autonomous bodies and are responsible for their own day-to-day management and operational affairs including dealing with policy and procedure in relation to any levy payable by students for services or campus facilitates.

The expenditure that has been incurred to date on the project will be met by the University from financial reserves. No financial contribution is being sought from the exchequer and there will be no impact on the student levy collected from the MU student body. Maynooth University are considering the most appropriate means of meeting the need for additional student spaces on campus, in the short and long term, in the overall context of achieving value for money in any future investment.

I met with Student representatives on a range of issues on Thursday last the 6th of October.  The Student’s Union from Maynooth University were represented at this meeting and I listened to their concerns about the Student Centre and the Student Levy. I would strongly encourage the University to continue engagement with the student representative body, on the next steps for this project and I understand a further meeting is scheduled.