Michael Cahill (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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218. To ask the Minister for Health if an initiative will be considered whereby a subsidisation of fees for medical students in return for a set period practising in rural Ireland; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [34828/25]

Jennifer Carroll MacNeill (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)
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Significant progress has been made by my department working in collaboration with the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science and the Higher Education Sector to increase the number of student training places across health-related disciplines to meet future demand for health services.

The Programme for Government 2025 includes commitments to provide more graduate entry medicine programmes focused on preparing students for careers in rural and remote medicine, ensuring those in under-served areas have access to skilled healthcare professionals.

In October 2022, the Higher Education Authority (HEA) ran an expression of interest (EOI) process seeking responses from Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) interested in building capacity in Dentistry, Pharmacy, Medicine, Nursing, and Veterinary Medicine. EOIs were sought from institutions with the capability to expand existing courses or create new courses in these areas.

In 2024 the HEA recommended the progression of several projects, including two new Medicine programmes: A Graduate Entry Rural and Remote Medicine Programme in the University of Galway, and a direct entry Medicine programme in the University of Limerick. At full roll out it is anticipated this will provide a further 78 student places per annum between both Universities, 48 of which will be available in the University of Galway Programme.

The Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science currently provides a subsidy, via the HEA, to HEIs towards the cost of Graduate Entry Medicine (GEM) provision for EU student places. The subsidy provides support for broadening access to GEM programmes by assisting HEIs in providing the courses at lower fee rates for EU students than would otherwise be required for the HEIs to offer the courses on a sustainable basis.