asked the Minister for Education what percentage of medical school intake in this country consists of students from outside the Republic.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Medical School Intake.
67.
The relevant percentage is 10.7.
I wonder would the Deputy mind waiting to ask a supplementary question until I reply to his second question? It more or less explains the situation.
68.
asked the Minister for Education if he is aware that Irish students with the requisite qualifications have been refused entry to medical schools while foreign students were accepted; and if he will take steps to ensure that Irish students are catered for before places are given to foreign and Northern Ireland students.
For university purposes students from the North of Ireland have never been treated as foreign students here. Apart from this the Deputy will appreciated that in every country it is felt that in the interest of education there should be a number of foreign students in the institutions of higher learning. A figure of ten per cent has been mentioned by the Commission on Higher Education in that regard. Furthermore, I have been informed that in the case of the medical schools in TCD and the Royal College of Surgeons no student from within the State refused who qualified for entry was refused entry. In the case of the colleges of the National University of Ireland in all only 16 students from outside the State were admitted to the medical schools. Of these nine came from the North of Ireland and of the remainder all had some connection with Ireland.
Is the Minister aware that two of these medical schools, namely, Trinity College and the Royal College of Surgeons, have the highest intake of medical students from abroad and that both of those schools have the highest failure rate for entry into the United States of America and have thereby lowered the standing of Irish medical schools in the eyes of the USA?
I am aware that they have by far the highest intake of students from abroad but I have no information with regard to the remainder of the Deputy's supplementary question.
Is the Minister aware that certain students in this country have applied for admission to medical schools and have been unable to obtain access to them, and that these medical schools have a large percentage of students coming from England, Wales, Scotland, Switzerland, Canada, the United States, Norway and other countries?
My information is that no student from this State who was qualified for entry into either of these schools was refused. If the Deputy would like to furnish me with particulars I will look into the matter.
Can the Minister say that these people were not refused entry pending the provision of excessive fees to some of these colleges?
I have no information about that. If the Deputy will give me the names of those who were refused I will see what the position was. My information is that no student who qualified and who requested entry was refused entry into either school.
In other words, no student of Irish nationality who wanted to do medicine has ever been refused entry.
No qualified student was refused entry to either school this year.
Has the Minister any idea why these schools are so popular in view of the fact that the Deputy has been telling us that people from countries all over the world are looking for admission to them? There must be some reason for their popularity.
That seems to be a separate question.