Noel Grealish (Galway West, Independent)
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1371. To ask the Minister for Health , further to Parliamentary Question No. 184 of 1 March, the reason Irish citizens who accepted a place in an Irish medical school directly from the medical school rather than through a CAO offer are discriminated against when internship posts are offered, given that the work permit requirement does not apply; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13163/23]

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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The policy decision regarding the allocation of medical intern places was put in place in 2016 to ensure CAO entry medical graduates are guaranteed an internship place following completion of their medical degrees. It is a priority that these CAO graduates have access to internships in order that they may obtain full registration with the Medical Council of Ireland, and subsequently obtain specialist registration with a view to permanent employment in the Irish health service. 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 production of doctors.

Following the allocation of intern posts to applicants through the CAO system, the remaining posts are preferentially allocated to all remaining eligible work permit exempt and EEA applicants. Non-EEA applicants have always been subject to work permit legislation requirements and are offered intern places that have not been taken up by eligible work permit exempt and EEA applicants at the first stage of offers.

Taking into account the candidate’s centile and whether a candidate was offered and accepted through the CAO system the top ranked candidate will be matched to his / her first preferred specific Intern post. There were 854 medical Intern posts available for the 2022/23 training year. In the July 2022/23 intern year intake, all eligible candidates who applied for an intern post, were offered an intern post.