Malcolm Byrne (Wicklow-Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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895. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the position regarding the planned graduate entry medicine loan scheme or other schemes of financial support for such students. [68228/26]

James Lawless (Kildare North, Fianna Fail)
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The Programme for Government commits to introducing tuition fee supports for Graduate Entry Medicine and expanding graduate entry programmes, particularly those supporting rural and regional healthcare provision.

Graduate Entry Medicine forms part of the Government's broader commitment to increase the number of healthcare training places across medicine, nursing, dentistry, pharmacy and health and social care professions. My Department has made significant progress in expanding medical education capacity, with the number of new entrant EU/EEA medicine places increasing from 720 in 2021 to 840 in 2023 and due to reach 920 by 2026.

Graduate Entry Medicine programmes are second-degree courses and, as such, students are not eligible for support under the Free Fees Initiative or for SUSI fee grants. Tuition fees are determined by individual higher education institutions and reflect the significant costs associated with programme delivery, including clinical training, placements, staffing and specialist facilities. In the context of finite public resources, the Government has prioritised the Free Fees Initiative in supporting students undertaking a first higher education qualification.

However, the State continues to provide substantial support towards the delivery of EU Graduate Entry Medicine places through funding allocated by the Higher Education Authority. This contribution has increased significantly in recent years and, by 2026, will amount to €16,900 per student per annum across all GEM places. Total annual Exchequer investment in Graduate Entry Medicine is now approximately €13 million. Students may also avail of a range of supports, including the Student Assistance Fund, bursaries available under the National Access Plan and tax relief on eligible tuition fees.

The Government remains committed to improving affordability for Graduate Entry Medicine students while continuing to expand medical training capacity. In relation to additional financial supports, the Programme for Government contains a commitment to introduce a support scheme for Graduate Entry Medicine students. This work is being progressed by the Department of Health in collaboration with my Department and other relevant stakeholders. A bank loan scheme is among the options being considered by my Department. To advance this, I met recently with the Tánaiste / Minister for Finance, Simon Harris as a state backed loan as is being considered would lie within his area of responsibility to advance. Follow up meetings are currently being arranged by officials in my Department with stakeholders in the financial services industry.

Any proposals brought forward will require consideration in the context of an annual Estimates process and broader Government expenditure priorities, as well as the overall resources available to Government.

Malcolm Byrne (Wicklow-Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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896. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the financial measures to support students who wish to pursue postgraduate studies; and the number of such students who received these supports in 2025-2026. [68226/26]

James Lawless (Kildare North, Fianna Fail)
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The main support available to students is the statutory based Student Grant Scheme which is administered by SUSI (Student Universal Support Ireland). Under the terms of the Student Grant Scheme, grant assistance is awarded to students attending an approved course in an approved institution who meet the prescribed conditions of funding, including those relating to nationality, residency, previous academic attainment and means.

Postgraduate students, who meet the relevant conditions of the Student Grant Scheme, may become eligible for the following supports:

• A student Maintenance grant and/or;
• A postgraduate fee contribution of up to €4,500 (increased in Budget 2026 from €4,000), or a postgraduate fee grant (Special Rate of Grant) up to a maximum of €6,270, towards the cost of fees.

John Paul O'Shea (Cork North-West, Fine Gael)
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897. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the protections in place for students undertaking higher or further education programmes delivered by private or overseas education and training providers where a provider ceases trading or enters liquidation; whether students are protected against losing substantial fees or being left without a route to complete a qualification; and, in light of the situation involving the academy of play and child psychotherapy, whether he will review the existing arrangements and consider additional safeguards for students in Ireland. [68207/26]

John Paul O'Shea (Cork North-West, Fine Gael)
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898. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the protections or avenues of redress available to students in Ireland who have paid substantial fees towards play therapy qualifications delivered through the academy of play and child psychotherapy, which has entered voluntary liquidation; whether his Department can assist affected students in identifying the options available to them in respect of fees already paid; and if he will engage with the relevant insolvency practitioners to establish information and assistance that can be provided to affected students. [68204/26]

John Paul O'Shea (Cork North-West, Fine Gael)
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899. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills whether his Department is aware that students who were due to commence play therapy training in Cork in September 2026 following the liquidation of an organisation (details supplied); the discussions he has had with University College Cork and other relevant bodies regarding a pathway for these students to commence or continue their studies; and whether the Government can assist in securing an alternative recognised pathway for these students. [68206/26]

John Paul O'Shea (Cork North-West, Fine Gael)
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900. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the discussions his Department have had with organisations (details supplied) and other relevant higher education and professional bodies regarding arrangements to allow students to complete their qualifications, including clinical placements, supervision and assessments; and whether he is satisfied that all affected Irish students have a viable pathway to complete the programmes for which they enrolled. [68205/26]

John Paul O'Shea (Cork North-West, Fine Gael)
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901. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the engagement his Department has had with organisations (details supplied) and other relevant bodies following the voluntary liquidation in August 2026, which has left more than 100 students in Ireland facing uncertainty regarding their qualifications, clinical placements and fees paid; and the guidance or assistance the Government can provide to these students. [68203/26]

John Paul O'Shea (Cork North-West, Fine Gael)
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914. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if he will consider establishing or facilitating a coordinated engagement between the affected students, the University of Chichester, University College Cork, the relevant professional bodies and the liquidators of the Academy of Play and Child Psychotherapy, with a view to identifying a practical pathway for affected students to complete their qualifications and clinical placements; and if he will outline what role his Department can play in assisting students who have invested significant sums in these programmes and are now facing circumstances outside of their control. [68208/26]

James Lawless (Kildare North, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 897 to 901, inclusive, and 914 together.

The Academy of Play and Child Psychotherapy (APAC) is a private institution based in the United Kingdom and does not fall within the remit or regulatory oversight of the Department. A number of private education providers operate in Ireland without State accreditation. Such providers may offer programmes accredited by overseas institutions or bodies, or indeed programmes that are not formally accredited. There is no legislative impediment to such arrangements. It is also important to note that play therapy is not a regulated profession in Ireland and there is no statutory regulator with responsibility for overseeing the profession. Play Therapy Ireland is an independent professional body and is not subject to State oversight.

Under Irish law, universities such as UCC are autonomous institutions. The Universities Act 1997 and the Technological Universities Act 2018 provide higher education institutions with responsibility for regulating their own academic affairs, including decisions relating to courses, awards and academic standards. As a result, neither the Minister nor the Department has a role in determining the academic arrangements of individual institutions.

I have been informed that under an agreement between UCC and the Academy of Play and Child Psychotherapy (Ireland) Limited, which concluded in March 2026, the following UCC-accredited programmes were offered, with APAC Ireland delivering elements of the courses:

• Postgraduate Certificate in Therapeutic Play Skills; and
• Postgraduate Diploma in Play Therapy.

UCC has advised that it did not register any students to commence studies on the Postgraduate Diploma programme in September 2026. Accordingly, those arrangements were entered into directly between the individuals concerned and APAC and did not form part of the programmes delivered by APAC under its agreement with UCC. UCC has indicated that its priority remains supporting students who are currently registered on UCC programmes. The University has communicated directly with affected students and has stated its intention to take all reasonable steps to enable those students to complete their studies and, where possible, achieve the relevant UCC qualification.

Quality and Qualifications Ireland (QQI) is the independent State agency responsible for the external quality assurance of higher and further education and training providers. QQI has responsibility for oversight of providers operating within the National Framework of Qualifications (NFQ), including matters relating to access, transfer and progression arrangements for learners. QQI is actively engaging with UCC on matters arising.

Currently, the Department is monitoring the situation closely and students have been encouraged to keep in contact with UCC for any developments.

Ivana Bacik (Dublin Bay South, Labour)
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902. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the extent to which the estimated annual funding gap of €307 million identified in 'Funding the Future' May 2022 has been addressed; the reason for the full funding requirement has not yet been met; the total estimated annual funding shortall facing the higher education sector, taking into account the outstanding core funding gap and related commitments in respect of demographic growth, pension liabilities, pay and industrial relations cost pressures; the methodology for ascertaining same; and the projected timeline for addressing the remaining funding shortfall in full. [68379/26]

James Lawless (Kildare North, Fianna Fail)
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The Funding the Future Framework published in May 2022, outlines the vision for how higher education will be funded and how this will support students, employers and wider society. The Framework identified an amount of €307 million as representing the quantum of increase in core funding required to deliver enhanced performance, strategic reforms and strengthened quality of outcomes.

Since the publication of Funding the Future, an additional €174 million has been secured in exchequer and employer funding with a commitment to deliver a further €100 million by 2030 from the National Training Fund (NTF). It is anticipated that further additional exchequer funding will be secured in future estimates to deliver on commitments, including on priorities such as healthcare places and tertiary programmes.

As part of its oversight role, the HEA meets annually with the seventeen core-funded higher education institutions. The annual Budget and Accountability meetings with senior management in these Institutions, together with the review of budget submissions, annual financial statements and regular reports, constitute key elements of the HEA’s financial oversight and monitoring of these Institutions. This engagement provides valuable information on the financial health and key issues and risks facing the sector.

My officials continue to work with the HEA and the higher education sector, to identify any emerging issues and to look at options to mitigate risks as they arise. This in turn enables me and my officials to build a case and advocate for additional funding for the higher education sector during the annual estimates process.

As the Deputy will appreciate, decisions on budget allocations will be made in the context of Government decision-making on the fiscal and expenditure framework for 2027 and beyond. While I cannot confirm specific items that will be included in the upcoming Budget or the subsequent supplementary estimates process, I can nevertheless assure the Deputy that I will continue to argue for further enhancements to the sustainable funding of higher education in the forthcoming Estimates process.

Ivana Bacik (Dublin Bay South, Labour)
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903. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the growth in student enrolments across the higher education sector in each year since 2022; the number of additional student places funded by the State in each year since 2022; the total Exchequer funding allocated in respect of demographic growth in each year since 2022, in tabular form; and the proportion of additional enrolments for which funding was provided. [68377/26]

Ivana Bacik (Dublin Bay South, Labour)
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926. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills to provide the growth in student enrolments across the higher education sector in each year since 2022, in tabular form; the number of additional student places funded by the State in each year since 2022, in tabular form; the total Exchequer funding allocated in respect of demographic growth in each year since 2022, in tabular form; and the proportion of additional enrolments for which funding was provided. [68972/26]

James Lawless (Kildare North, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 903 and 926 together.

Thank you, Deputy, for your questions related to growth in student enrolments and funding for same by the State.

As requested, I have provided the most available data below in tabular format, which addresses the growth in student enrolments across the higher education sector since 2022 and the number of additional students supported by the Free Fees Scheme in the same period.

The growth in student enrolments across the higher education sector in each year since 2022

Under the Free Fees Initiative, the State assumes responsibility for compensating higher education institutions for the tuition fee income that would otherwise be payable by students eligible for the scheme and enrolled on approved programmes. This funding does not include the student contribution charge.

Eligibility for the Free Fees Initiative is restricted to full-time undergraduate courses in public higher education institutions (HEIs) and a limited number of designated courses in private not for profit institutions. Costs and numbers of students are advised below: