Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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3427. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the estimated full-year costs of doubling the number of third level places available for therapeutic courses (details supplied). [44354/25]

James Lawless (Kildare North, Fianna Fail)
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Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) are autonomous institutions responsible for their own academic affairs including the curriculum and student numbers on individual courses. The costs incurred by a HEI in increasing student places on a particular course or establishing an additional course can vary depending on a variety factors including the type of course and the individual circumstances of the relevant HEI.

In April 2025, in response to a request from the Cabinet Sub-Committee on Disability, I requested my officials to establish an interdepartmental working group to address additional places and associated placements for the expansion of disability therapy graduates. This group is chaired by senior officials from my department and includes senior representatives from the Department of Health, the HSE, the Department of Children, Disability and Equality, the Higher Education Authority, and the Department of Education and Youth.

On my behalf the HEA conducted an Expression of Interest process to identify opportunities to expand numbers across existing courses in nine key health and social care professions, which could commence immediately from September 2025. The process ran in April and received 24 submissions across all nine areas, including therapy disciplines.

Following a review of the results, I joined with my Ministerial colleagues to seek Government approval for this expansion. We secured approval for 461 additional places in these key disciplines, 310 of which will commence in 2025. These places are in professions vital to disability and health services, and include 20 places in occupational therapy and 10 places in speech and language therapy. The HEA has formally communicated to the providers to activate this expansion

This builds on the 40 additional places in occupational therapy and 15 additional places in speech and language therapy created last year. A tertiary programme in occupational therapy has also been created, with 20 students due to start in Cork ETB and Kerry ETB this September.

It is important to recognise that this was a first immediate step to activate places in these key professions. Meeting our collective government commitments in disability and education will require further significant growth and delivery of new courses and clinical supports for therapies. Work on the next phase is already underway. My officials are engaging closely with the HEA, the Higher Education sector and across government. We are also exploring new pathways, including postgraduate programmes, tertiary education models, and apprenticeships, to grow a sustainable pipeline of healthcare and therapy professionals. Data on the workforce supply is a matter for the Department of Health and HSE to determine.

I remain committed to supporting my Government colleagues to provide additional places as one of the mechanisms to meet increasing workforce needs and ensure the sustainable growth of these essential programmes with the continued support of our agencies, providers and regulatory bodies.