Mark Wall (Kildare South, Labour)
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875. To ask the Minister for Health when a person (details supplied) in County Kildare will receive the exam needed to practise in the medical profession here; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [55128/25]

Jennifer Carroll MacNeill (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)
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The PRES level 3 exams are facilitated and co-ordinated by the medical schools in Ireland on behalf of the Medical Council. The number of available places depends on the capacity and availability of the medical schools who run the exams. While I understand that the Medical Council has added two additional PRES 3 sessions in 2025, I am aware that not all applicants have been offered a place.

The Medical Council has advised that exam places are allocated according to priority. There are a number of priority categories including expiry of eligibility and the time the application was submitted. If a place becomes available, the Medical Council will contact the next applicant on the waiting list.

While waiting to sit the PRES 3, doctors who pass the PRES 2 or one of alternative overseas exams, can apply for a clinical observership with the HSE or if they are offered a supervised post by the HSE, they can apply for registration in the Supervised Division.

I appreciate the frustration of those who are waiting to sit the PRES 3 exam and the impact on the individuals concerned. The Medical Council is currently looking at options to address the increasing demand for PRES 3 exams and officials in my Department will continue to engage with the Council in this regard.