Ivana Bacik (Dublin Bay South, Labour)
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1646. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if his Department holds or has requested data on the socio-economic background of applicants and entrants to graduate entry medicine programmes over the past five years; and if so, to publish a breakdown, by income decile or deprivation index, to allow analysis of equity in access. [29045/25]

Ivana Bacik (Dublin Bay South, Labour)
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1647. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if there is a formal mechanism within his Department to monitor socio-economic equity in access to graduate entry medicine programmes; and if not, whether he intends to establish one in light of consistent Higher Education Authority data showing the underrepresentation of disadvantaged students in medical education. [29046/25]

Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, Solidarity)
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1664. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if his Department holds or has requested data on the socio-economic background of applicants and entrants to graduate entry medicine programmes over the past five years; and if so, to publish a breakdown by income decile or deprivation index to allow analysis of equity in access. [30489/25]

Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, Solidarity)
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1665. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if there is a formal mechanism within his Department to monitor socio-economic equity in access to graduate entry medicine programmes; and if not, whether he intends to establish one in light of consistent Higher Education Authority data showing the underrepresentation of disadvantaged students in medical education. [30490/25]

James Lawless (Kildare North, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 1646, 1647, 1664 and 1665 together.

The Higher Education Authority (HEA) is my Department's primary source of statistics in relation to the higher education sector. The HEA publishes socio-economic profile of the higher education student population, based on the home address of students and the Pobal HP Deprivation Index.

The most recent report on socio-economic profiles in higher education was published on 9th June 2025 and covers enrolments in 2021/22, 2022/23, and 2023/24 academic years.

The report shows that, on the whole, 17% of higher education students are classed as affluent while 9% are classed as disadvantaged. However students studying medicine were more likely to be affluent than the general student population, with 31% being classed as affluent while only 5% were disadvantaged. These proportions are similar when only graduate entry medicine is looked at, with 33% of graduate entry medicine students being classed as affluent while 5% were classed as disadvantaged.

More detailed information on the socio-economic profile of students in higher education and the methodology used can be found on the Statistics Section of the Higher Education Authority website.