Written Answers Nos. 265-279
265. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the number of approved degree course places, first year intake and final year graduates, graduate output, for counselling and psychotherapy in each of the past five years in tabular form; his plans for increasing graduate output in this field; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [60912/21]
View answerData on new entrants and graduates from all courses in social work and counselling between from 2016 to 2020 are available in the table below. These course types share an ISCED classification and therefore are grouped together and reported together for statistical purposes. Due to the way new entrants are recorded, undergraduate new entrants refer to full-time students only while undergraduate graduates refer to both full-time and part-time students.. There is no quota placed on these courses by my Department, and therefore the places offered are a matter for the higher education institutions, in line with their autonomy.
The data below is take from the HEA's Student Records System, and therefore includes students enrolled in HEA-funded institutions only. There are a number of courses in counselling and psychotherapy provided by private higher education providers.
|
Year |
Course Level |
New Entrants |
Total Enrolments |
Graduates |
|
2016 |
Undergraduate |
794 |
3659 |
1448 |
|
2016 |
Postgraduate |
290 |
595 |
346 |
|
2017 |
Undergraduate |
799 |
3738 |
1356 |
|
2017 |
Postgraduate |
297 |
651 |
350 |
|
2018 |
Undergraduate |
905 |
4378 |
1534 |
|
2018 |
Postgraduate |
286 |
709 |
380 |
|
2019 |
Undergraduate |
839 |
4125 |
1571 |
|
2019 |
Postgraduate |
308 |
824 |
439 |
|
2020 |
Undergraduate |
993 |
4412 |
1601 |
|
2020 |
Postgraduate |
414 |
962 |
428 |
The matter of health workforce planning and ensuring an appropriate pipeline of qualified healthcare workers within Ireland, is a major priority for my Department. The Programme for Government commits the Department of Health to working with the education sectors, regulators, and professional bodies to improve the availability of health professionals and reform their training to support integrated care across the entire health service. My Department and I are continuing to engage with the Department of Health and other relevant stakeholders to ensure that we can continue to deliver graduates with the skills necessary to support our healthcare system and support the strategic workforce planning by the health sector.
266. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the number of approved undergraduate places, first year intake and final year graduates, graduate output for nursing and midwifery in each of the past five years in tabular form; his plans for increasing graduate output in this field; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [60919/21]
View answer267. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the number of approved postgraduate places, first year intake and final year graduates, graduate output, for nursing and midwifery in each of the past five years in tabular form; his plans for increasing postgraduate output in this field; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [60920/21]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 266 and 267 together.
Data on new entrants to and graduates from nursing and midwifery courses between from 2016 to 2020 are available in the table below. Due to the way new entrants are recorded, undergraduate new entrants refer to full-time students only while undergraduate graduate figures include both full and part-time students. The postgraduate data refers to postgraduate clinical and scientific courses offered by the schools of nursing, many of which are undertaken by existing medical professionals seeking further training or specialisation.
The intake quota for EU entrants to undergraduate nursing and midwifery stands at 1,819. The current quotas for entry are under review as part of my Department’s ongoing engagements with the Department of Health regarding health workforce planning.
|
Year |
Course Level |
New Entrants |
Graduates |
|
2016 |
Undergraduate |
1702 |
1681 |
|
2016 |
Postgraduate |
1782 |
1424 |
|
2017 |
Undergraduate |
1823 |
1702 |
|
2017 |
Postgraduate |
1800 |
1310 |
|
2018 |
Undergraduate |
1772 |
1892 |
|
2018 |
Postgraduate |
1827 |
1526 |
|
2019 |
Undergraduate |
1808 |
1983 |
|
2019 |
Postgraduate |
2056 |
1648 |
|
2020 |
Undergraduate |
1965 |
2151 |
|
2020 |
Postgraduate |
2513 |
1591 |
The matter of health workforce planning and ensuring an appropriate pipeline of qualified healthcare workers within Ireland is a major priority for my Department. The Programme for Government commits the Department of Health to working with the education sectors, regulators, and professional bodies to improve the availability of health professionals and reform their training to support integrated care across the entire health service. My Department and I are continuing to engage with the Department of Health and other relevant stakeholders to ensure that we can continue to deliver graduates with the skills necessary to support our healthcare system and support the strategic workforce planning by the health sector.
268. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the number of approved undergraduate places, first year intake and final year graduates, graduate output, for medicine in each of the past five years in tabular form; his plans for increasing graduate output in this field; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [60921/21]
View answer269. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the number of approved postgraduate places, first year intake, and final year graduates, graduate output, for the various medical fields in each of the past five years in tabular form; his plans for increasing postgraduate output in this field; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [60922/21]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 268 and 269 together.
Data on new entrants to and graduates from medicine courses between from 2016 to 2020 are available in the table below. The undergraduate data refers to entrants to medicine courses, including graduate entry medicine. The postgraduate data refers to clinical and scientific courses offered by the schools of medicine, many of which are undertaken by existing medical professionals seeking further training or specialisation.
The current quota for EU entrants (including Irish entrants) to medicine stands at 708, divided between undergraduate entry (468) and graduate entry (240). This quota was established as a recommendation of the Report of the Working Group on Undergraduate Medical Education and Training, also known as the Fottrell Report. The current quotas for entry to medicine are under review as part of my Department’s ongoing engagements with the Department of Health regarding health workforce planning.
|
Year |
Course Level |
New Entrants |
Graduates |
|
2016 |
Undergraduate |
1251 |
1290 |
|
2016 |
Postgraduate |
637 |
551 |
|
2017 |
Undergraduate |
1298 |
1342 |
|
2017 |
Postgraduate |
688 |
496 |
|
2018 |
Undergraduate |
1319 |
1327 |
|
2018 |
Postgraduate |
660 |
536 |
|
2019 |
Undergraduate |
1353 |
1292 |
|
2019 |
Postgraduate |
679 |
529 |
|
2020 |
Undergraduate |
1403 |
1319 |
|
2020 |
Postgraduate |
995 |
539 |
The matter of health workforce planning and ensuring an appropriate pipeline of qualified healthcare workers within Ireland is a major priority for my Department. The Programme for Government commits the Department of Health to working with the education sectors, regulators, and professional bodies to improve the availability of health professionals and reform their training to support integrated care across the entire health service. My Department and I are continuing to engage with the Department of Health and other relevant stakeholders to ensure that we can continue to deliver graduates with the skills necessary to support our healthcare system and support the strategic workforce planning by the health sector.
270. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the number of approved undergraduate places, first year intake, and final year graduates, graduate output, for psychology and occupational therapy in each of the past five years in tabular form; his plans for increasing graduate output in this field; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [60923/21]
View answer271. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the number of approved postgraduate places, first year intake, and final year graduates, graduate output, for psychology and occupational therapy in each of the past five years in tabular form; his plans for increasing graduate output in this field; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [60924/21]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 270 and 271 together.
Data on new entrants and graduates from all Psychology and Occupational Therapy courses between from 2017 to 2020 are available in the table below. Due to the way new entrants are recorded, undergraduate new entrants refer to full-time students only. There is no quota placed on occupational therapy or psychology courses by my Department, and therefore the places offered are a matter for the higher education institutions, in line with their autonomy. However due to need to provide clinical placements involved there are material constraints on the number of students that can be accepted onto occupational therapy courses.
There is a discrepancy in new entrant and graduate figures in occupational therapy, with a higher number of graduates from undergraduate courses than there are new entrants for that cohort. This is due to a partnership between Trinity College Dublin and Nanyang Polytechnic in Singapore. Students from Nanyang Polytechnic complete three years of their degree in their home institution, and the final year in Trinity College. They are therefore counted among the graduates for that year, but never appear in the new entrant figures.
The data below is take from the HEA's Student Records System, and therefore includes students enrolled in HEA-funded institutions.
Table 1: Psychology
|
Year |
Course Level |
New Entrants |
Graduates |
|
2017 |
Undergraduate |
433 |
592 |
|
2017 |
Postgraduate |
625 |
577 |
|
2018 |
Undergraduate |
490 |
586 |
|
2018 |
Postgraduate |
563 |
541 |
|
2019 |
Undergraduate |
572 |
560 |
|
2019 |
Postgraduate |
641 |
701 |
|
2020 |
Undergraduate |
609 |
714 |
|
2020 |
Postgraduate |
804 |
651 |
Table 2: Occupational Therapy
|
Year |
Course Level |
New Entrants |
Graduates |
|
2017 |
Undergraduate |
92 |
120 |
|
2017 |
Postgraduate |
30 |
27 |
|
2018 |
Undergraduate |
96 |
142 |
|
2018 |
Postgraduate |
31 |
33 |
|
2019 |
Undergraduate |
102 |
131 |
|
2019 |
Postgraduate |
35 |
30 |
|
2020 |
Undergraduate |
97 |
97 |
|
2020 |
Postgraduate |
31 |
29 |
The matter of health workforce planning and ensuring an appropriate pipeline of qualified healthcare workers within Ireland, is a major priority for my Department. The Programme for Government commits the Department of Health to working with the education sectors, regulators, and professional bodies to improve the availability of health professionals and reform their training to support integrated care across the entire health service. My Department and I are continuing to engage with the Department of Health and other relevant stakeholders to ensure that we can continue to deliver graduates with the skills necessary to support our healthcare system and support the strategic workforce planning by the health sector.
272. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the number of approved undergraduate places, first year intake, and final year graduates, graduate output, for speech and language therapy in each of the past five years in tabular form; his plans for increasing graduate output in this field; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [60925/21]
View answer273. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the number of approved postgraduate places, first year intake, and final year graduates, graduate output, for speech and language therapy in each of the past five years in tabular form; his plans for increasing graduate output in this field; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [60926/21]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 272 and 273 together.
Data on new entrants and graduates from all physiotherapy related courses between from 2017 to 2020 are available in the table below. Due to the way new entrants are recorded, undergraduate new entrants refer to full-time students only. There is no quota placed on speech and language therapy by my Department, and therefore the places offered are a matter for the higher education institutions, in line with their autonomy. However due to need to provide clinical placements involved there are material constraints on the number of students that can be accepted onto speech and language therapy courses.
|
Year |
Course Level |
New Entrants |
Graduates |
|
2017 |
Undergraduate |
87 |
74 |
|
2017 |
Postgraduate |
30 |
28 |
|
2018 |
Undergraduate |
89 |
79 |
|
2018 |
Postgraduate |
30 |
29 |
|
2019 |
Undergraduate |
89 |
82 |
|
2019 |
Postgraduate |
34 |
21 |
|
2020 |
Undergraduate |
88 |
97 |
|
2020 |
Postgraduate |
28 |
22 |
The matter of health workforce planning and ensuring an appropriate pipeline of qualified healthcare workers within Ireland is a major priority for my Department. The Programme for Government commits the Department of Health to working with the education sectors, regulators, and professional bodies to improve the availability of health professionals and reform their training to support integrated care across the entire health service. My Department and I are continuing to engage with the Department of Health and other relevant stakeholders to ensure that we can continue to deliver graduates with the skills necessary to support our healthcare system and support the strategic workforce planning by the health sector.
274. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the number of approved undergraduate places, first year intake, and final year graduates, graduate output, for physiotherapy in each of the past five years in tabular form; his plans for increasing graduate output in this field; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [60927/21]
View answer275. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the number of approved postgraduate places, first year intake, and final year graduates, graduate output, for physiotherapy in each of the past five years in tabular form; his plans for increasing graduate output in this field; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [60928/21]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 274 and 275 together.
Data on new entrants and graduates from all physiotherapy related courses between from 2017 to 2020 are available in the table below. Due to the way new entrants are recorded, undergraduate new entrants refer to full-time students only. There is no quota placed on physiotherapy by my Department, and therefore the places offered are a matter for the higher education institutions, in line with their autonomy. However due to need to provide clinical placements involved there are material constraints on the number of students that can be accepted onto physiotherapy courses.
There is a discrepancy in new entrant and graduate figures, with a higher number of graduates from undergraduate courses than there are new entrants for that cohort. This is due to a partnership between Trinity College Dublin and Nanyang Polytechnic in Singapore. Students from Nanyang Polytechnic complete three years of their degree in their home institution, and the final year in Trinity College. They are therefore counted among the graduates for that year, but never appear in the new entrant figures.
|
Year |
Course Level |
New Entrants |
Graduates |
|
2017 |
Undergraduate |
131 |
235 |
|
2017 |
Postgraduate |
44 |
45 |
|
2018 |
Undergraduate |
146 |
220 |
|
2018 |
Postgraduate |
43 |
41 |
|
2019 |
Undergraduate |
136 |
228 |
|
2019 |
Postgraduate |
48 |
43 |
|
2020 |
Undergraduate |
139 |
184 |
|
2020 |
Postgraduate |
44 |
44 |
The matter of health workforce planning and ensuring an appropriate pipeline of qualified healthcare workers within Ireland, is a major priority for my Department. The Programme for Government commits the Department of Health to working with the education sectors, regulators, and professional bodies to improve the availability of health professionals and reform their training to support integrated care across the entire health service. My Department and I are continuing to engage with the Department of Health and other relevant stakeholders to ensure that we can continue to deliver graduates with the skills necessary to support our healthcare system and support the strategic workforce planning by the health sector.
276. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the number of approved undergraduate places, first year intake, and final year graduates, graduate output, for dentistry, dental hygiene, and dental technology in each of the past five years in tabular form; his plans for increasing graduate output in this field; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [60929/21]
View answer277. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the number of approved postgraduate places, first year intake, and final year graduates, graduate output, for dentistry, dental hygiene, and dental technology in each of the past five years in tabular form; his plans for increasing graduate output in this field; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [60930/21]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 276 and 277 together.
Data on new entrants, total enrolments and graduates from all dental studies related courses between from 2016 to 2020 are available in the table below. Due to the way new entrants are recorded, undergraduate new entrants refer to full-time students only. There is no quota placed on dental courses by my Department, and therefore the places offered are a matter for the higher education institutions, in line with their autonomy. However due to the high level of practical work involved there are material constraints on the number of students that can be accepted onto dentistry courses.
|
Year |
Course Level |
New Entrants |
Total Enrolments |
Graduates |
|
2016 |
Undergraduate |
179 |
712 |
208 |
|
2016 |
Postgraduate |
13 |
58 |
30 |
|
2017 |
Undergraduate |
145 |
675 |
251 |
|
2017 |
Postgraduate |
32 |
66 |
31 |
|
2018 |
Undergraduate |
172 |
690 |
204 |
|
2018 |
Postgraduate |
39 |
75 |
27 |
|
2019 |
Undergraduate |
176 |
715 |
208 |
|
2019 |
Postgraduate |
30 |
67 |
16 |
|
2020 |
Undergraduate |
171 |
714 |
208 |
|
2020 |
Postgraduate |
25 |
73 |
5 |
The matter of health workforce planning and ensuring an appropriate pipeline of qualified healthcare workers within Ireland, is a major priority for my Department. The Programme for Government commits the Department of Health to working with the education sectors, regulators, and professional bodies to improve the availability of health professionals and reform their training to support integrated care across the entire health service. My Department and I are continuing to engage with the Department of Health and other relevant stakeholders to ensure that we can continue to deliver graduates with the skills necessary to support our healthcare system and support the strategic workforce planning by the health sector.
278. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the amount expended by his Department in each of the past five years to date in 2021 on electricity costs in tabular form; and if he will provide an additional schedule that sets out all energy costs associated with their ICT hardware, that is, servers and so on in tabular form. [60939/21]
View answerThe Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science was formed on the 2 August 2020. Since that time my Department has occupied offices under a shared services agreement with the Department of Education.
The table below displays the total the Department has expended on electricity, gas and oil/lpg in the calendar year 2020 and to date in 2021. Please note that it is not possible to extrapolate the amount the Department expends on lighting or heating individually or with regards to ICT hardware,
|
Year |
Amount |
|
2020 |
€59,139.91 |
|
2021 (to date – 30/11/2021) |
€52,618.77 |
279. Deputy Fergus O'Dowd asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the assistance available in the case of a person (details supplied) to pursue a play therapy course; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [60979/21]
View answerThe main support provided by my Department in terms of financial supports is the Student Grant Scheme. The Student Grant Scheme, administered by Student Universal Support Ireland (SUSI), provides grant assistance to students attending an approved full-time course in an approved institution who meet the prescribed conditions of funding, including those relating to nationality, residency, previous academic attainment and means.
The Student Grant Regulations prescribe that an approved course is a full-time course leading to a major higher education and training award which takes a minimum of two years to complete in an approved institution. I understand from the details supplied that the student in question is pursuing a part-time Level 9 course entitled the Academy of Play and Psychotherapy. Part-time courses do not meet this definition and are not approved courses under the Student Grant Scheme.
The Programme for Government contains commitments to, among other things, review SUSI eligibility criteria, adjacency rates, postgraduate grant supports and the definition of an approved course. On foot of these commitments, I gave approval to commence a review of the Student Grant Scheme. I am currently awaiting the final report of the review of the Student Grant System. My expectation is that I will receive the final report before Christmas. My intention is to submit the report to Government, and then to publish it. The Deputy will understand that implementation of the report's recommendations will be a matter for consideration in the context of such factors as its assessment by Government and the costs and budgetary implications of those recommendations. The review will, however, have a crucial role to play in shaping the future development and expansion of student support to ensure the accessibility and inclusiveness of our higher education system.
I would encourage students to contact the free and confidential guidance services available through the Education and Training Boards and the access offices and guidance services in Higher Education Institutions to explore their options.
Apart from the Student Grant Scheme, students in higher education institutions experiencing exceptional financial need can apply for support under the Student Assistance Fund. This Fund assists students, in a sensitive and compassionate manner, who might otherwise be unable to continue their third level studies due to their financial circumstances. Students on full- or part-time courses leading to a higher education award (National Framework of Qualifications level 6-10) in Irish universities, institutes of technology and other approved colleges can apply. Details of this fund are available from the Access Office in the third level institution attended.
Back to Education Allowance (BTEA) is administered by the Department of Social Protection. Accordingly, any queries regarding the eligibility criteria or status of a BTEA application or other social welfare schemes must be referred to that Department.
