Brendan Griffin (Kerry, Fine Gael)
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412. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if he will clarify if a veterinary college will be included under Munster Technological University (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18619/23]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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My Department does not place a quota on the number of places on veterinary medicine courses offered by Higher Education Institutions and Munster Technological University is autonomous, within the meaning of the Technological Universities Act 2018 in relation to the courses it chooses to offer.

However, I would note the significant infrastructural, placement and regulatory requirements of delivering places in veterinary medicine which has limited the number of places institutions have created.

For this reason, the Higher Education Authority recently ran a process to identify where capacity could be built in the higher education sector in a number of key disciplines of veterinary medicine, medicine, nursing, pharmacy and dentistry.

As I am still reviewing the submission from the HEA, it is not possible to say how many further places may be delivered at this time, which higher education institutions may be involved, or in what specific areas these places may be made available. The Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Minister for Health and I will consider opportunities for new programme provision alongside options for current programme expansion to determine a final list of options.

Our Departments will be engaging closely on this matter to consider these options, having regard to workforce plans and projected demand for graduates.