2026-04-23

241. Deputy Eoghan Kenny asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the level of demand for specific courses particularly in health services, inclusive of medicine, nursing and dentistry; the number of applicants who apply for a particular course that will be granted a place on the course; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22015/26]

I wish to ask the Minister about the level of demand for specific courses, particularly in healthcare including courses in medicine, nursing and dentistry; the number of applicants who apply for a particular course and the numbers that will be granted a course for the coming academic year.

I ask the Deputy to repeat that because I have run out of prepared answers. That is fine, I can take a free run but I ask the Deputy to repeat his question.

The question generally relates to the number of courses available in medicine, nursing and dentistry and if all applicants for whom it is their number one choice on their CAO form, for example, will receive a place on those courses.

I would never be so bold as to make a commitment that every applicant will get his or her first choice every time because I am not sure that is something the system has ever achieved. However, 80% of applicants receive their first, second or third choice within the system. The vast majority of students receive a choice within their top three course preferences and that is positive. The traditionally high-point courses in healthcare, including medicine, nursing and dentistry, as well as physiotherapy and veterinary medicine the Deputy mentioned are all in high demand and they typically attract high points. One of the issues I have been working on is increasing the provision of courses. We have 1,100 additional places available in the current year. When I assumed my role in the Department, I asked the HEA to conduct an expression of interest exercise. The authority went to the different universities and asked them how many more students they could take on board. I was happy to fund that and indeed, we have done that already this year by creating the 1,100 additional places. This is also imperative in the context of the whole-of-government focus on disability services and healthcare and in the context of our demographics, whereby we have a population that is ageing and living longer. It is key that people are enabled not just to live longer lives, but to live healthier lives as well, and part of that is having the medical and other professionals available to assist. This is an important mission of Government. I am currently in the process of undertaking a second round of expressions of interest. I have invited the universities to consider whether, having provided 1,100 extra places, they can do more. Can we create more places? That has two effects. The first is that it creates more capacity in the system, which should exert downward pressure on points, leading to more students getting their first choice or certainly, their first, second or third. It also increases the throughput of those professions through the system. It is a very important piece of work.

I thank the Minister for that. I asked the question because a lot of people have come to me who achieved the required points but they did not get the actual course because of a lack of places. I also asked it because we all see the extensive waiting lists across our health service, particularly for those trying to access a GP in their local area. There are also extensive waiting lists within community hospitals and in larger hospitals in Cork, Dublin, Galway and elsewhere. I am particularly interested in dentistry courses because I have come across a number of cases of people having difficulty accessing dental hygienist courses. I know of one person who applied for a dental hygienist course in UCC but a place is just not available. Has the Minister been in communication with the Department of Health regarding the level of demand for these courses, given the waiting lists that we have in our health service?

On dentistry, I was pleased to visit the RCSI's new dental hospital in Sandyford recently where a number of new places have been created straight into the system. I met students who are already in first year on that course and they were participating eagerly. I am very aware of the shortages of GPs and the pressure on rural practices as a TD and have seen it myself in my own constituency. One of the benefits of the new courses I have been supporting and encouraging is that rather than doing the same thing in every university, and repeating it around the country, universities are coming forward with different offerings that are more targeted and localised. For example, in Galway a new medical degree is being offered in the area of rural and remote medicine. That focuses on future practitioners who will have a rural catchment area and a slightly different practice than might be the case for an urban practitioner, which is helpful. The ATU and SETU are creating new veterinary courses with a focus on large animal practice, unlike the small animal practices that are typical of cities. The RCSI have a proposal for a new GP medical course focusing on care in the community. Each of these new courses has a particular focus which is of societal benefit.

The question is based on the fact that people have come to me because their child has been waiting on a dental appointment for two years. People cannot get access to a GP, particularly those who are living in rural areas. I am sure the Minister is acutely aware of that. The first question that is often posed by constituents is around why we do not have more nurses, doctors or dentists because that would bring down the waiting lists. A cross-government approach to this is important. There are significant issues in our health service and the waiting lists. The possibility of providing extra courses, particularly in medicine, nursing and dentistry, would have cross-government and cross-House support because it would have the effect of bringing down the waiting times that many people are facing.

I sympathise with the plight of people. The Deputy asks what I am doing about that. I am creating more professionals. I am creating more college places and more capacity on those courses that are in demand. I am doing this for two reasons. The first is to enable access for professionals into those courses and the other is to ensure that we have a supply of graduates into the system to provide the services that the Deputy speaks about. It is not related to my Ministry but there are incentives for GPs practising in rural areas. The rural practitioner allowance is a payment made to GPs taking on a rural practice to reflect the nature of the work they do, which can be somewhat different. In terms of conversations with the Department of Health, the Minister for Health and I have had a number of conversations on this issue. We very much have a shared goal and I want to thank the Minister for Health publicly for her collaboration and cooperation with me on this piece of work. I also want to thank the Minister for Education and Youth in that regard because we are also looking at speech therapists, educational psychologists and a number of different professionals within the educational sphere. One of the key aspects to this is not just increasing the number of college places, although that is important, but having the placements that students can go on within the hospital setting as part of their training. The Minister for Health is working with me on that.