Michael Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent)
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1025. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if places can be granted on postgraduate courses (details supplied) which usually admit a higher number of places but have had to reduce due to cutbacks; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39079/25]

James Lawless (Kildare North, Fianna Fail)
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Higher Education Institutions are autonomous bodies within the meaning of the Universities Act 1997, the Institutes of Technology Acts 1992 to 2006, and the Technological Universities Act 2018. As such they are autonomous in relation to their administrative and academic affairs, and the courses offered by any institution, the number of places offered on a course, and the level at which they are offered, are a matter for the individual institutions to determine.

Recognising the workforce needs across the health, disability and education sectors, my Department, in partnership with the Department of Health and the HEA, is actively expanding training provision in these areas.

In June this year I announced that Government had approved the creation of 461 new training places for key Health and Social Care Professions, with up to 320 starting this September across existing programmes in eleven higher education institutions. These places are in nine critical professions including Occupational Therapy.

Prior to this expansion, the intake targets that Executive Committee and Governing Authority for UL approved was 36 across both programmes - 24 in the undergraduate programme and 12 in the postgraduate programme.

Following the announced expansion, UL will now be offering 46 places in OT - 34 in the undergraduate programme and 12 in the postgraduate programme. This represents a 50% increase on the 2023 baseline intake of 30 students.

My Department are engaging with the Department of Health and HSE and with the higher education sector to work to maximise additional places and the aligned clinical placements. It is a priority for my Department and across Government for the future expansion of training places in these health disciplines and to create more opportunities for students to study these vital professions across the country, and we are actively working to increase supply and diversify entry routes.