Emer Currie (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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24. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills to outline plans to progress college places to assist in the workforce planning of disability services. [13715/25]

James Lawless (Kildare North, Fianna Fail)
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This government is prioritising workforce planning needs across health and disability services. My officials and I are working closely with other Departments to support workforce planning responses by creating additional places in areas of acute skills need, ensuring a pipeline of qualified graduates for our health and social care workforce.

I recently met with cabinet colleagues, the Minister for Health and Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth, for a discussion on this topic and we are aligned in the need for expanding training places in therapy disciplines.

Last July my Department and the Department of Health, prepared a Joint memo for Government committing both Departments to prioritise funding for the expansion of key healthcare disciplines, including therapy disciplines. My officials have requested that the HEA examine expansion of places across existing therapy courses as a next step to increase provision, this will supported by a subsequent examination of new provision if required.

My Department has made significant progress in recent years providing nearly 1,000 additional places in health and social care programmes in Irish Universities. In addition, an agreement for ringfenced healthcare places in Ulster University and Queens University Belfast, in 2023 and 2024 is in place and is co-funded by the Department of Health, which has delivered a further 389 places over the past two years.

The delivery of these programmes is complex and requires multiple parts of the health and education systems working together. Guaranteed sustainable clinical placements and practice tutors are essential to expanding provision of student places and ensuring graduate output. I will continue to work with government colleagues to support healthcare and disability workforce planning needs through expansion of these vital programmes.