Donna McGettigan (Clare, Sinn Fein)
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686. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the reason there are still the same number of dental students as 25 years ago; the reason most of these are from overseas; and the number of dental students registered in each of the past 25 years, along with details on their nationality, in tabular form. [28509/25]

James Lawless (Kildare North, Fianna Fail)
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My officials are working closely with the Department of Health to expand the healthcare workforce capacity of the country, and to create more opportunities for students who wish to pursue these professions, including in dentistry and oral healthcare.

A list of all first year enrolments, by nationality, is in the attached document provided by the Higher Education Authority (HEA). The earliest academic year for which data is available is 2007/2008. Please note that these figures refer to all year one enrolments for these years. In line with the HEA's statistical dissemination policy, all figures are rounded to the nearest five.

My Department does not place a quota on dental courses, and therefore the number of places offered is a matter for the higher education institutions, in line with their autonomy. However, I do acknowledge that due to a high level of practical work there can be material constraints on the number of students that can be accepted onto dentistry courses.

The provision of healthcare programmes is complex and involves many different parts of the system.?It is important that any increases in places are done in a sustainable way with an evidence based understanding of the future needs of the health system.

In 2023, the HEA carried out a targeted capacity expansion exercise across priority healthcare areas. One key outcome was the establishment of new healthcare programmes, including a new Bachelor of Dental Surgery at the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI), commencing in 2025. This programme will provide at least 20 new dentistry places per annum for Irish/EEA students from 2025 onwards.

It is worth emphasising that my Department is not in a position to specify the workforce planning demand requirements for any discipline – this must come from the relevant line Department.

It is my understanding that the Department of Health is undertaking a scoping project and skills assessment across the oral healthcare sector. I am also informed that the Dental Council has submitted revised scopes of practice to the Department of Health. If approved, this will require updates to training curricula and potential increases in training places across dentistry and other oral health disciplines.

I am committed to working with all relevant stakeholders to ensure that any future expansion of dental education is grounded in evidence, responds to national needs, and is delivered in a sustainable manner.

David Cullinane (Waterford, Sinn Fein)
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687. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the cost of increasing new entrant undergraduate places for medicine, dental studies, nursing and midwifery, and all health and social care professions by 10%, providing the unit cost for each, the number of existing places for each, and the number of additional places for each, in tabular form [28614/25]

David Cullinane (Waterford, Sinn Fein)
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688. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the number of year-one student enrolments in medical, dental, nursing, and health and social care professions, for each intake year for 2022-2024, in tabular form; the number of CAO places; and the cost of each place. [28615/25]

David Cullinane (Waterford, Sinn Fein)
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689. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the number of student enrolments across all years in medical, dental, nursing, and health and social care professions, for each intake year for 2022-2024, in tabular form; the number of CAO places; and the cost of each place. [28616/25]

James Lawless (Kildare North, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 687, 688 and 689 together.

The student enrolment data requested by the Deputy is contained in the attached spreadsheet. This data was sourced from the HEA Student Records System (SRS) and is the most recent available.

The number of CAO places may fluctuate year on year for any given course, the new entrant data in the attached is reflective of the number of CAO places.

The Department does not have the costing per student for all higher education programmes. The university sector collects full economic costing data. The full economic cost of each student enrolled as an undergraduate or postgraduate student will vary depending on the discipline.

Addressing shortages in critical health and social care professions is a key priority for my Department and for the Government as a whole. In recent years over 1,000 places have been added to programmes of acute skills shortage, particularly in the health and social care disciplines.

At the request of my Department, the Higher Education Authority (HEA) has run two Expression of Interest (EoI) processes to establish the capacity for expansion in training places for key public sector skills needs.

In 2022, on foot of workforce needs expressed by the Department of Health and Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, a process was run by the HEA to identify potential expansionary capacity in Medicine, Nursing, Dentistry, Pharmacy and Veterinary Medicine. This has resulted in a unprecedented amount of investment and expansion of new programmes with a broad geographic spread, including a new Dentistry programme, two new Veterinary Medicine programmes, three new Pharmacy programmes and two new Medicine programmes. These new programmes are due to commence in 2025 and 2026.

This year a second Expression of Interest Process has been conducted in respect of key health and social care professions, including the therapies. This second EoI is currently being reviewed by an interdepartmental working group with senior officials from Department of Health, HSE, Department of Education and Youth, Department of Children, Disability and Equality and chaired by DFHERIS. I expect to bring recommendations regarding expansion in these health and social disciplines to government in the coming weeks.

My Department are also looking at alternative pathways into tertiary education, including apprenticeships and tertiary degrees, which are outside the CAO system, allowing for a more diverse student cohort. Expansion in these pathways will form a key part of our overall efforts to meet the skills needs of the public sector and the economy as a whole.

David Cullinane (Waterford, Sinn Fein)
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690. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the number of year-one medical enrolments at each institute at undergraduate and graduate level for each year 2022-2024, in tabular form ; the number of CAO places; and the cost of each place. [28617/25]

David Cullinane (Waterford, Sinn Fein)
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691. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the number of medical enrolments across all years at each institute at undergraduate and graduate level for each year 2022-2024, in tabular form ; the number of CAO places; and the cost of each place. [28618/25]

James Lawless (Kildare North, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 690 and 691 together.

The student enrolment data requested by the Deputy regarding medicines contained in the attached spreadsheet. This data was sourced from the HEA Student Records System (SRS) and is the most recent available.

The number of CAO places may fluctuate year on year for any given course, the year 1 data for Irish/EU students in the attached is broadly reflective of the number of CAO places. Applications by non-EU students are processed outside the CAO.

The Department does not have the costing per student for all higher education programmes. The university sector collects full economic costing data. The full economic cost of each student enrolled as an undergraduate or postgraduate student will vary depending on the discipline.

David Cullinane (Waterford, Sinn Fein)
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692. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the number of year-one dental enrolments at each institute at undergraduate and graduate level for each year 2022-2024, in tabular form ; the number of CAO places; and the cost of each place. [28619/25]

David Cullinane (Waterford, Sinn Fein)
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693. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the number of dental enrolments across all years at each institute at undergraduate and graduate level for each year 2022-2024, in tabular form; the number of CAO places; and the cost of each place. [28620/25]

David Cullinane (Waterford, Sinn Fein)
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708. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the number of year-one pharmacy enrolments at each institute at undergraduate and graduate level for each year 2022-2024, in tabular form; the number of CAO places; and the cost of each place. [28635/25]

David Cullinane (Waterford, Sinn Fein)
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709. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the number of pharmacy enrolments across all years at each institute at undergraduate and graduate level for each year 2022-2024, in tabular form; the number of CAO places; and the cost of each place. [28636/25]

James Lawless (Kildare North, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 692, 693, 708 and 709 together.

The student enrolment data requested by the Deputy regarding dentistry and pharmacy is contained in the attached spreadsheet. This data was sourced from the HEA Student Records System (SRS) and is the most recent available.

The number of CAO places may fluctuate year on year for any given course, the new entrant data for Irish/EEA students in the attached is reflective of the number of CAO places.

The Department does not have the costing per student for all higher education programmes. The university sector collects full economic costing data. The full economic cost of each student enrolled as an undergraduate or postgraduate student will vary depending on the discipline.

In 2023, the HEA carried out a targeted capacity expansion exercise across priority healthcare areas. One key outcome was the establishment of a new dentistry programme in RCSI which will create 20 additional places for Irish/EEA students from 2025 onwards. Three new programmes in pharmacy are also being established, in the University of Galway, Atlantic Technological University and South East Technological University. The programme in Galway will commence in 2025, with the others commencing in 2026. At full roll-out, this will create approximately 150 additional places in pharmacy.

My Department remains committed to working across Government to address current and future workforce needs and to ensure sustainable expansion of these vital programmes.

David Cullinane (Waterford, Sinn Fein)
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694. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the number of year-one nursing and midwifery enrolments at each institute at undergraduate and graduate level for each year 2022-2024, in tabular form; the number of CAO places; and the cost of each place. [28621/25]

David Cullinane (Waterford, Sinn Fein)
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695. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the number of nursing and midwifery enrolments across all years at each institute at undergraduate and graduate level for each year 2022-2024, in tabular form; the number of CAO places; and the cost of each place. [28622/25]

James Lawless (Kildare North, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 694 and 695 together.

The student enrolment data requested by the Deputy regarding nursing and midwifery is contained in the attached spreadsheet. This data was sourced from the HEA Student Records System (SRS) and is the most recent available.

The number of CAO places may fluctuate year on year for any given course, the new entrant data in the attached is reflective of the number of CAO places.

The Department does not have the costing per student for all higher education programmes. The university sector collects full economic costing data. The full economic cost of each student enrolled as an undergraduate or postgraduate student will vary depending on the discipline.

David Cullinane (Waterford, Sinn Fein)
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696. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the number of year-one speech and language therapy enrolments at each institute at undergraduate and graduate level for each year 2022-2024, in tabular form; the number of CAO places; and the cost of each place. [28623/25]

David Cullinane (Waterford, Sinn Fein)
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697. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the number of speech and language therapy enrolments across all years at each institute at undergraduate and graduate level for each year 2022-2024, in tabular form; the number of CAO places; and the cost of each place. [28624/25]

David Cullinane (Waterford, Sinn Fein)
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698. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the number of year-one occupational therapy enrolments at each institute at undergraduate and graduate level for each year 2022-2024, in tabular form; the number of CAO places; and the cost of each place. [28625/25]

David Cullinane (Waterford, Sinn Fein)
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699. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the number of occupational therapy enrolments across all years at each institute at undergraduate and graduate level for each year 2022-2024, in tabular form; the number of CAO places; and the cost of each place. [28626/25]

David Cullinane (Waterford, Sinn Fein)
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700. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the number of year-one physiotherapy enrolments at each institute at undergraduate and graduate level for each year 2022-2024, in tabular form; the number of CAO places; and the cost of each place. [28627/25]

David Cullinane (Waterford, Sinn Fein)
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701. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the number of physiotherapy enrolments across all years at each institute at undergraduate and graduate level for each year 2022-2024, in tabular form; the number of CAO places; and the cost of each place. [28628/25]

David Cullinane (Waterford, Sinn Fein)
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704. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the number of year-one dietetics enrolments at each institute at undergraduate and graduate level for each year 2022-2024, in tabular form; the number of CAO places; and the cost of each place. [28631/25]

David Cullinane (Waterford, Sinn Fein)
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705. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the number of dietetics enrolments across all years at each institute at undergraduate and graduate level for each year 2022-2024, in tabular form; the number of CAO places; and the cost of each place. [28632/25]

James Lawless (Kildare North, Fianna Fail)
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The student enrolment data requested by the Deputy regarding dietetics, speech and language therapy, occupational therapy and physiotherapy is contained in the attached spreadsheet. This data was sourced from the HEA Student Records System (SRS) and is the most recent available.

The number of CAO places may fluctuate year on year for any given course, the new entrant data in the attached is reflective of the number of CAO places. Postgraduate courses are not offered through the CAO.

The Department does not have the costing per student for all higher education programmes. The university sector collects full economic costing data. The full economic cost of each student enrolled as an undergraduate or postgraduate student will vary depending on the discipline.

Addressing shortages in critical health and social care professions is a key priority for my Department and for the Government as a whole.

Additional places in some of these courses were provided in 2024 including:

• 15 additional Speech and Language Therapy places - Expansion of University of Galway BSc programme.
• 40 additional Occupational Therapy places - Introduction of new BSc programme with 20 places in Occupation Therapy in UL and expansion of 20 places on University of Galway BSc Occupational Therapy programme.
• 10 additional Physiotherapy places - Expansion of RCSI BSc programme.

David Cullinane (Waterford, Sinn Fein)
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702. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the number of year-one social work enrolments at each institute at undergraduate and graduate level for each year 2022-2024, in tabular form; the number of CAO places; and the cost of each place. [28629/25]

David Cullinane (Waterford, Sinn Fein)
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703. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the number of social work enrolments across all years at each institute at undergraduate and graduate level for each year 2022-2024, in tabular form; the number of CAO places; and the cost of each place. [28630/25]

James Lawless (Kildare North, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions 703 and 702 together.

The student enrolment data requested by the Deputy regarding nursing and midwifery is contained in the attached spreadsheet. This data was sourced from the HEA Student Records System (SRS) and is the most recent available.

The number of CAO places may fluctuate year on year for any given course. My Department does not have access to CAO data. Postgraduate applications are not processed through the CAO.

The Department does not have the costing per student for all higher education programmes. The university sector collects full economic costing data. The full economic cost of each student enrolled as an undergraduate or postgraduate student will vary depending on the discipline.

Two new education pathways were introduced in 2024 to address the shortfall of practitioners in the social work sector. These are

• A tertiary degree in Social Work, co-delivered by Cork ETB and UCC, which allows learners to access an undergraduate degree in Social Work outside the CAO system, and
• A Social Work Apprenticeship, which allows apprentice social workers to "earn while they learn" as they gain on the job practical experience and a level 9 Social Work qualification.