Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Social Democrats)
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531. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if it is proposed to increase the number of places on first-year veterinary medicine for Irish students in 2023. [8349/23]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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The Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science does not place a quota on the number of places on veterinary medicine courses 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 HEA is currently running an expression of interest process for Higher Education Institutions interested in building capacity in Dentistry, Pharmacy, Medicine, Nursing, and Veterinary. This process was designed to respond to national skills needs, and EOIs were sought from institutions with capability to expand existing courses or create new courses in these areas in academic year 2024-25 or 2025-26. I expected to receive a report of the proposals, following stage 2 of the process which involves a review of submissions received by an expert panel.