Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 28 September 2022
215. Deputy Alan Farrell asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science if he has considered increasing the number of places available for students to obtain a bachelor of pharmacy degree; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [47550/22]
View answerOn the 28th June, I announced an additional 1,056 college places, which will be available from September 2022. These places are in areas including IT, architecture and construction, nursing, engineering, education and welfare. An additional ten places in pharmacy in RCSI have been created from September 2022.
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 officials are actively engaging 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.
