Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail)
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841. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills to provide a breakdown of the number and cost of the additional places across veterinary, medicine and other healthcare disciplines announced as part of a €16.4 million increase in budget 2025. [42702/24]

Patrick O'Donovan (Limerick County, Fine Gael)
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Budget 2025 marks a significant milestone for the entire Further Education, Higher Education and Research sector with an investment of almost €1.5 billion over the next six years. This year's Budget included an allocation of €16.4 million to increase the number of places across veterinary, medicine and other healthcare disciplines. This will include:

• €8.6m to support the next tranche of medicine places as per the agreement made in 2022 with the medical schools for an additional 200 places over the period 2022-2026. The Government committed at that time to prioritising funding and expansion of medical places, together with moving the funding of existing medicine places to a more sustainable basis. The funding provides the enhanced level of funding needed for existing places, along with funding to support new places.
• €2.8m to support the provision of places in Northern Ireland for students from ROI in the Allied Health Professions in Ulster University, and the provision of 25 places in medicine in Queens University Belfast for Irish students who will return to work in the HSE for their intern year.
• €5m to support the creation of additional training places in areas of key skills needs as identified in the HEA’s Expression of Interest process. These will include places in Veterinary Medicine, as announced on 16th September, and places in Pharmacy and Dentistry as announced on 18th October.