Further and Higher Education

Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 14 November 2023

Tuesday, 14 November 2023

Questions (621)

Ivana Bacik

Question:

621. Deputy Ivana Bacik asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the rationale for not appointing a contract for a second veterinary school to the University of Limerick; his plans for the provision of extra veterinary education places; whether further information on his plans for same will feature in his Department’s statement of strategy; and if he will report on his representations to the Minister for Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform in respect of the inclusion of new veterinary education places in the upcoming National Development Plan review. [49927/23]

Written answers

Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science

Ensuring a supply of qualified vets to meet the demands of Ireland's agri-food sector is an important issue for my Department.

As you are aware, a number of institutions put forward proposals following the recent HEA Expression of Interest process outlining options for the expansion of existing veterinary medicine provision.

There is a substantial capital cost associated with the provision of any new school in veterinary. It is important that the scale of the costs is fully understood and planned for and the options identified have the potential to transform the numbers of students who can take up places in these programmes. This would represent a significant investment of public funding in our higher education institutions.

Detailed discussions are continuing to take place about the ways and means to address capital costs for the provision of any new school, including in the context of an expected upcoming review of Departmental National Development Plan allocations.

Given the nature of the discussions and the significant costs associated with expansion and the provision of any new schools, it will naturally take some time for these discussions to reach a conclusion.

I am continuing to work with the Ministers for Agriculture, Food and the Marine and the Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform on the next steps.