Noel Grealish (Galway West, Independent)
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184. To ask the Minister for Health the reason priority is given to CEO entry applicants within the HSE Internship placement programme in addition to or instead of percentile marking; the reason applicants for internship posts who accepted a place in Irish medical school through a CAO officer will be allocated posts ahead of applicants who accepted an Irish medical school place directly from the medical school; his views on whether this practice is discriminatory given that all students registered in a college course should be treated fairly and equitably; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10452/23]

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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Applicants for a medical internship are applying for an employment position in the HSE. They are recruited directly by the HSE, as their employer. An offer of Internship is dependent on passing final medical exams and submission of centile by relevant medical school.

The HSE applies the Employment Permits legislation in the recruitment for intern posts. In compliance with the Employment Permits Act an order of merit based on work permit status is applied whereby all eligible CAO entrants to Irish medical schools who are work permit exempt are guaranteed an intern post. Remaining posts are allocated to all remaining eligible EEA applicants, followed by all remaining eligible non-EEA applicants.

The policy regarding the allocation of medical intern posts was put in place in 2016 to ensure that CAO entry medical graduates are guaranteed an internship following completion of their medical degree. It is a priority that CAO graduates have access to an internship in order that they may qualify as a doctor, obtain full registration with the Medical Council of Ireland, with a view to going on to seek permanent employment in our Irish health services. This protects the State investment in the undergraduate education of CAO medical students. It supports Ireland’s commitment under the World Health Organization’s Global Code on the Recruitment of International Health Personnel to strive for self-sufficiency in the domestic training of doctors. 

Under this application model all eligible CAO and EEA work permit exempt applicants have been allocated an intern post since 2016. There were 854 medical Intern posts available for the 2022/23 training year. In relation to the July 2022/23 intern year intake all eligible candidates, who applied for an intern post, were offered an intern post.