Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 5 March 2019
202. Deputy Thomas Pringle asked the Minister for Education and Skills his plans to provide more courses on pharmacy in Dublin apart from an existing institution (details supplied); if his attention has been drawn to the difficulties for students in accessing pharmacy courses in Dublin due to a limited number of places available; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10787/19]
View answerUniversities in Ireland are autonomous institutions under the Universities Act 1997. As such, the management of their academic affairs, including the selection and delivery of courses, are matters for individual institutions. Neither I nor the Department has any role in relation to such matters.
In Dublin, Trinity College Dublin and the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland provide fully integrated five-year degree programmes which are accredited by the Pharmaceutical Society of Ireland (PSI) – the Pharmacy Regulator. Both programmes lead to the award of MPharm and, in the case of Trinity College Dublin, may be accessed through direct entry and graduate entry routes. University College Cork also delivers a PSI accredited degree in pharmacy.
In 2017, The Department of Health published Working Together for Health: A National Strategic Framework for Health and Social Care Workforce Planning. Existing and future demand for health and social care workers will be examined under this framework and appropriate supply responses formulated with the higher education institutions where necessary.
