181. Deputy Pádraig Rice asked the Minister for Health the reason for recent changes to the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland’s (RCPI) Basic Specialist Training recruitment process; to respond to concerns (details supplied); if she has engaged with the RCPI regarding this change; and if there are any plans to introduce transitional arrangements. [67484/26]
Topics / Medical Qualifications
A subject heading for parliamentary questionsMedical Qualifications
67 questions from 34 TDs, between 5 February 2025 and 23 September 2026.
67
questions
67 written, 0 oral
34
TDs have asked
9
parties and groups
Independents counted together
2
departments asked
Questions per month
The record holds no questions for August, when the Dáil does not sit.
Jan 2025Oct 2026
Show as a table
| Month | Questions |
|---|---|
| January 2025 | 0 |
| February 2025 | 5 |
| March 2025 | 6 |
| April 2025 | 0 |
| May 2025 | 4 |
| June 2025 | 1 |
| July 2025 | 1 |
| August 2025 | 0 |
| September 2025 | 0 |
| October 2025 | 4 |
| November 2025 | 21 |
| December 2025 | 2 |
| January 2026 | 0 |
| February 2026 | 5 |
| March 2026 | 4 |
| April 2026 | 1 |
| May 2026 | 3 |
| June 2026 | 6 |
| July 2026 | 3 |
| August 2026 | 0 |
| September 2026 | 1 |
| October 2026 | 0 |
Who asks, by party
The party each TD belonged to on the day, in alphabetical order. Parties differ a lot in size, and members of the Government answer questions rather than ask them, so this shows who raised it, not how much a party cares about it.
The TDs who asked most
Members of the Government answer questions rather than ask them. Each question counts once.
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13
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6
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5
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Asked of
The questions
147. Deputy Roderic O'Gorman asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the timeline on the proposed stakeholder consultation and subsequent publication of the review of specialist training provision, STP; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [50198/26]
148. Deputy Malcolm Byrne asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science to provide an update on improving access to graduate entry medicine programmes. [49861/26]
545. Deputy Erin McGreehan asked the Minister for Health the status of the proposed EU Common Training Framework (CTF) for physiotherapists; if her Department or CORU has taken a formal position on its potential introduction; the measures being considered to ensure that any future regulatory framework maintains patient safety and professional standards, particularly in light of variations in physiotherapy training ac…
2120. Deputy Rose Conway-Walsh asked the Minister for Health if her attention has been drawn to the difficulties being experienced by Irish students studying physiotherapy abroad in sourcing clinical placements within Irish hospitals; if her attention has been further drawn to concerns that placements are being prioritised for students attending Irish universities; the steps her Department will take to support such s…
2167. Deputy Ann Graves asked the Minister for Health if she will consider reopening a competency-based assessment pathway for experienced social care workers who missed the section 91 deadline; if CORU will be directed to explore accelerated or alternative registration routes for long-serving practitioners, given the acute workforce shortages in the sector; and if a legislative or policy review is planned that would…
2355. Deputy William Aird asked the Minister for Health the progress made towards the statutory regulation of certified athletic therapists through CORU; the reasons for the delay in advancing regulation despite representations from the profession over a period of more than sixteen years; the timeframe within which she expects a decision on the matter; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [43727/26]
2392. Deputy Pádraig Rice asked the Minister for Health to respond to matters raised in correspondence (details supplied) regarding CORU-registered internationally trained physiotherapist not being able to enter clinical practice; the steps she is taking to address existing barriers to employment; the engagements she has had with the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment in respect of this issue; and if she…
2393. Deputy Pádraig Rice asked the Minister for Health to provide clarification regarding the lifting of the recruitment freeze on physician associates (PAs); the steps being taken to facilitate the recruitment of PAs into the HSE again; the timeline she is working towards; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [44002/26]
2394. Deputy Pádraig Rice asked the Minister for Health her plans with respect to the proposed salary structures for physician associates to address concerns related to the proposed reductions (detail supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [44003/26]
1205. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Health if she will provide details on the number of pharmacy graduates registered with the Pharmaceutical Society of Ireland in each of the past five years; if she will outline what analysis, if any, has been undertaken by her Department on the capacity of the Irish healthcare system to absorb the growing number of pharmacy graduates entering the workforce each y…
1206. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Health if she will provide details on the number of pharmacy technicians who have completed accredited training programmes in Ireland in each of the past three years; if her Department has assessed demand for pharmacy technician employment across community and hospital pharmacy settings in Ireland, particularly in light of the graduation of approximately 170 phar…
1207. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Health if she will outline the policy framework governing hospital pharmacy workforce planning in Ireland; if her Department has assessed current and projected demand for clinical pharmacists across acute hospital settings, including Cork University Hospital, which serves as a Level 3 paediatric cardiology centre for the Munster region; and if she will make a sta…
209. Deputy Mark Ward asked the Minister for Health if she will advise on the CORU registration adaptation requirements for individuals who have moved to the State (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [28798/26]
1754. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health the reason the arrangement under which validation of entry-to-practice qualifications for clinical measurement physiologists was undertaken by a body (details supplied), which has carried out this function for approximately 20 years, was ended; the basis for this decision and the details of any review, evaluation or due diligence which informed that decision;…
1755. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health the person or body currently responsible for the validation of entry-to-practice qualifications for clinical measurement physiologists in Ireland; the formal process, criteria, governance and oversight mechanisms that are now in place; whether this system applies consistently across the public, voluntary and private health sectors; and the assurances that can…
1768. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Health the measures she is taking to ensure a smooth, efficient, and affordable transfer for nurses who have studied and trained abroad but wish to work as a nurse within the HSE; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [18876/26]
571. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Health the percentage of those studying medicine in higher education institutions in the State at present and in each of the past five years who are non-EU students; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [18056/26]
652. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health when she will consider and publish the review of the physician assistant or associate role in the health service; if she will sanction the grade and role; the steps she is taking to ensure robust governance; the steps she is taking to ensure that other professions which could or do perform some of the roles proposed for physician associates are supported to pr…
676. Deputy Pádraig Rice asked the Minister for Health further to Parliamentary Question No. 359 of 11 February 2026, to confirm that she has received the HSE’s report into the physician associate grade; if she will publish this report; the timeline for same; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [13939/26]
359. Deputy Pádraig Rice asked the Minister for Health further to Parliamentary Question No.438 of 2 October 2025, if the HSE’s review of the physician associate grade has been completed, given that it was due by the end of 2025; the timeline being worked towards for publication; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [10826/26]
439. Deputy Cathal Crowe asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science if, given the urgent need to increase the number of qualified medical doctors in Ireland, he will strategically direct SUSI to consider graduate medical courses not to be an additional QQI level 8 qualification, for the purposes of assessing grant applications; and if he will make a statement on the matter. …
950. Deputy Donna McGettigan asked the Minister for Health whether it will be a hiring requirement for the HSE that graduate counsellors/psychotherapists have completed non-mandatory personal therapy hours, which were previously mandatory but have been changed under CORU guidelines; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [7402/26]
1064. Deputy Pádraig Rice asked the Minister for Health if there is a career pathway for graduates of radiation therapy and radiography within the public system upon graduation; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [70213/25]
1065. Deputy Pádraig Rice asked the Minister for Health the health care professional graduates which have guaranteed jobs in the public system upon graduation; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [70214/25]