Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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2742. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the estimated number of third level places associated with training therapists to work in the disability sector (details supplied); the full-year cost to the exchequer of delivering these places; and the full-year cost to students, including international students, to take up these places. [47490/25]

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.

An increase in student places and/or new programmes is likely to require capital investment in infrastructure, equipment etc, and additional academic staff. The fees payable by students are not representative of the total cost to the state. There is also the cost of compulsory clinical placements and associated HSE staff to support students while on placement.

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.

Government approval was received for an additional 461 places, 310 of which have been introduced in September 2025, representing a substantial increase. 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.

The number of students studying undergraduate therapy disciplines in the academic year 2023/2024 is outlined in the table below, by EU or non EU domicile. EU students can avail of the Free Fees Scheme and non-EU students pay yearly fees determined by the relevant HEI, in line with their autonomy.