Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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Significant engagement is ongoing between my Department, the Department of Health, the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth, and the Department of Education to develop a joined-up approach to address system level demand in therapeutic disciplines and healthcare programmes.

This year 460 additional places were created in health care related programmes including therapy disciplines. This represents meaningful additionality within existing infrastructure, and includes an additional 20 Speech and Language Therapy places. Ulster University have also provided 80 places in therapy disciplines including 10 places in speech and language therapy, from this September to students in the Republic of Ireland.

As the Deputy may be aware the Higher Education Authority recently conducted and expressions of interest from higher education institutions interested in building capacity in Dentistry, Pharmacy, Medicine, Nursing, and Veterinary Medicine from academic year 2024-25 or 2025-26. Significant options for expansion were identified, and these options are being considered in the context of Budgetary Processes and the National Development Plan review. A further process will consider options to build capacity in priority therapy disciplines.

Speech and Language therapist is a regulated profession under EU Directive 2005/36, the regulator is CORU and their approved courses are outlined on their website here coru.ie/health-and-social-care-professionals/education/approved-qualifications/speech-and-language-therapists/

This list includes three undergraduate courses in Trinity College Dublin, University Galway and University College Cork and a postgraduate programme in University of Limerick.

The number of enrolments for the last five years, sourced from the Student Records System in the HEA is in the table below.