Paul Lawless (Mayo, Aontú)
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904. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills whether his Department, the Higher Education Authority, or agencies under his remit have undertaken an assessment of whether the allocation of places to non-EU students in medicine, dentistry, pharmacy, physiotherapy or veterinary medicine has reduced the number of places available to Irish students; if such assessments have been undertaken, to provide copies; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [68442/26]

James Lawless (Kildare North, Fianna Fail)
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My Department's policy focus, working in partnership with the Department of Health, the Department of Children, Disability and Equality, the Department of Education and Youth, the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, the Higher Education Authority and higher education institutions, has been to expand educational capacity in priority healthcare and veterinary disciplines in order to meet growing student demand and national workforce needs.

Significant progress has been made in recent years in increasing the number of places available across a range of healthcare programmes. This includes the implementation of the 2022 Medicine Expansion Agreement, under which 200 additional Irish/EU medicine places are being introduced on a phased basis, together with additional opportunities for Irish students to study medicine in Northern Ireland. The Government has also supported substantial growth in student places in dentistry, pharmacy, physiotherapy, occupational therapy, speech and language therapy, nursing and other health and social care professions. These measures are contributing to a larger pipeline of graduates to support health service requirements.

More broadly, higher education institutions have expanded capacity in response to increasing student demand arising from demographic growth and rising participation in higher education. Further expansion is planned across the sector as larger school-leaver cohorts continue to progress to third-level education.

The admission and recruitment of students is a matter for individual higher education institutions, which are autonomous bodies under the Universities Act 1997 and the Technological Universities Act 2018. Institutions are responsible for their admissions policies and student recruitment strategies, within the relevant legislative and regulatory framework.

International students make an important contribution to Ireland's higher education system, enriching the academic environment, strengthening international engagement and supporting research and institutional development and operations. Government policy has therefore focused on increasing overall educational capacity, particularly in strategically important healthcare disciplines, to ensure that growing demand can be accommodated and workforce objectives are addressed.

Paul Lawless (Mayo, Aontú)
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905. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the number of Irish/EU and non-EU students enrolled in graduate entry veterinary medicine at University College Dublin in each academic year since 2017/2018; the annual tuition fee charged to each category; whether additional publicly funded EU places have been considered; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [68446/26]

James Lawless (Kildare North, Fianna Fail)
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The information requested by the Deputy in relation to enrolments on the Graduate Entry Veterinary Medicine programme at University College Dublin (UCD) is set out in the table below. Data provided by UCD indicates that the number of students enrolled on the programme has increased from 145 in 2017/18 to 230 in 2024/25.

Graduate Entry Veterinary Medicine (UCD) - Enrolments by Domiciliary Origin

In relation to tuition fees, the Graduate Entry Veterinary Medicine programme at University College Dublin is a fee-paying programme. As an autonomous higher education institution, UCD determines the fee levels applicable to the programme and publishes fee schedules annually. UCD's published fee information notes that both EU and non-EU students entering Graduate Entry Veterinary Medicine (DN301) from 2019/20 onwards are subject to annual fee increases. The current published fee for entrants to the Graduate Entry Veterinary Medicine programme in academic year 2026/27 is €31,680 per annum, exclusive of the Student Centre Levy. This fee applies irrespective of domicile status and reflects the programme's position as a graduate-entry professional course.

In relation to veterinary education more generally, currently there are approximately 90 places provided on UCD's direct entry veterinary medicine programme each year and this figure has remained broadly consistent in recent years. More than 90% of these places are taken by Irish and EU students.

More broadly, Ireland's higher education system has experienced sustained growth in student demand in recent years, driven by increasing demographics and strong participation rates in higher education. The sector has continued to expand capacity to accommodate increasing numbers of students and is planning for further growth in the years ahead as larger school-leaver cohorts continue to progress into higher education. Government policy has been focused on increasing overall higher education capacity, including in priority areas such as healthcare and veterinary education, to ensure that demographic growth can be accommodated.

As you are aware, Government approval was granted in October 2025 for the capital programme underpinning the Veterinary Places Activation Programme (VPAP). This is supporting the establishment from this year of two new veterinary schools at South East Technological University and Atlantic Technological University. Together, these schools will provide 80 additional veterinary places annually from 2026, significantly strengthening veterinary education and training capacity in Ireland.

While there are currently no plans to provide additional publicly funded places specifically within UCD's Graduate Entry Veterinary Medicine programme, the Government is substantially expanding overall veterinary education capacity through the Veterinary Places Activation Programme. This expansion is designed to support Ireland's future veterinary workforce needs and increase opportunities for students to access veterinary education. It also forms part of the broader approach being taken across higher education to provide additional capacity in response to continued demographic growth and increasing demand for places.