Pauline Tully (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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184. To ask the Minister for Health further to Parliamentary Question No. 151 of 20 October 2022, the number of additional places out of the 200 additional Irish/EU medicine places that are for disciplines employed in children's disability network teams; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [58302/22]

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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In July 2022, Minister Harris and I announced an agreement with the Irish Medical Schools to phase in an increase of 200 additional Irish/EU medicine places over the next 5 years. The first phase has seen an additional 60 places offered in September 2022. The Medical Schools and both Departments have also agreed to explore the potential to maximise the phasing in of these places in the coming years.

Medical Students do not specialise until after they graduate so it is not possible to say how many of the 200 additional EU medicine places will lead to graduates going on to be employed in disability network teams. After completing their undergraduate medical degree these graduates will undertake postgraduate medical training across a number of specialties.