Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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Ensuring a supply of qualified vets is an important issue for my Department. Workforce planning requirements for the veterinary medicine sector are a matter for my colleague, the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine in consultation with the Veterinary Council of Ireland. Officials in my Department have been engaging closely with colleagues in Minister McConalogue's Department in relation to these graduate supply requirements.

While my Department does not place a quota on the number of places on veterinary medicine courses, the reality is that there are constraints in current capacity. This reflects the fact that programmes involve significant practical and placement requirements, and facilities, including appropriate laboratory facilities, to ensure programmes meet the necessary standards of the Veterinary Council of Ireland.

In recognition of this capacity constraint, the Higher Education Authority (HEA) ran a process to identify where capacity could be built in the higher education sector in a number of priority disciplines including veterinary medicine. In June, Minister McConalogue and I, along with Minister Donnelly, announced the findings of the report.

Minister McConalogue and I, as well as officials from both Departments, are, in the context of Budgetary Processes and the National Development Plan review, continuing to engage in discussions regarding the opportunities identified by the HEA.