Rose Conway-Walsh (Mayo, Sinn Fein)
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295. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if he will engage with the Minister for Education on the issue of increasing the cap on primary teacher training places in public HEIs given that the Department of Education is currently in the process of determining the intake on the primary B.Ed. and PME programmes for the 2023-2024 academic year; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [59999/22]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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I wish to advise the Deputy that the process for the approval of the intake on the Primary Bachelor of Education (B.Ed.) programme and Professional Master of Education (PME) programme for the 2023/24 academic year has commenced and remains under consideration by the Department of Education. Once approved, the State-funded HEIs will be advised of this.

The intake to the B.Ed. at the State funded HEIs has remained at 1,000 places per year since 1999. The intake to the post graduate courses has varied slightly since its inception. However, over the last number of years, it has remained constant at 200 places.

While teacher supply pressures are being experienced in the system at present, there is a strong underlying downward trend in the demand projections at primary level. Measures to address current supply issues have been put in place by the Department for Education.