Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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481. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if additional third level places will be made available for students wishing to study pharmacy in view of the shortage of community pharmacists; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7438/23]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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Developing enhanced capacity within the tertiary education system to deliver on skills needs in areas of strategic importance to public services and the wider economy is a major priority for me. 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.

My Department does not place a quota on the number of pharmacy places offered by higher education institutions, and as such the number of places provided each year is determined by the institutions themselves in line with their capacity.

The Higher Education Authority has completed the first stage of an expression of interest process for Higher Education Institutionsinterested in building capacity in Dentistry, Pharmacy, Medicine, Nursing, and Veterinary .

The second stage of this process has now commenced with the recent announcement by the Higher Education Authority of the appointment of an Expert Advisory Panel to review the opportunities for new programmes covered by the process. The panel is comprised of representatives from Government Departments and regulatory and professional bodies that have direct professional experience and/or academic expertise in the relevant disciplines, or knowledge of the higher education system at a senior level.

As the Expert Panel is currently reviewing the applications, it is not possible to say at this time how many places may be delivered. The Higher Education Authority will consider opportunities for new programme provision alongside options for current programme expansion to determine a final list of options to present to me in the first quarter of this year.

My Department will consider these options having regard to workforce plans and projected demand for graduates from relevant line Departments.

Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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482. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if additional third level places will be made available across different disciplines in health and social care; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7439/23]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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Significant engagement is ongoing between my Department, the Department of Health, and the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth, to develop a joined-up approach to meet system level demand across the health sector.

The Higher Education Authority is also currently running a process to identify where further additional capacity could be built in the higher education sector in a number of healthcare areas including Pharmacy, Medicine, Nursing, Dentistry and Veterinary. It is the intention that another process for other disciplines will be run later in the year. The Higher Education Authority will consider opportunities for new programme provision alongside options for current programme expansion to determine a final list of options to present to me in the first quarter of this year.

Health and social care programmes are by their nature complex in delivery. The availability of appropriate placements and placement supports is a key enabler of expansion. A working group, including representation from the Department of Health, HSE and CORU, as well as the higher education sector, has been established to specifically examine how placements can be secured to facilitate greater numbers of training places.

There are some fundamental issues, which are in the control of the health sector, which are prerequisites to enable expansion. These relate to guarantees of clinical placements, detailed and robust workforce planning projections and engagement with regulators. In addition to qualifying additional health professionals, success in the recruitment and retention of health professionals by the health sector will be key.

Future growth of provision in the higher education sector will be dependent on action in these areas by the appropriate authorities in the health sector.

My Department is committed to working closely with the Department of Health and its agencies to ensure that the conditions are in place to support further growth in educational provision.