Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Tuesday, 3 Nov 1992

Vol. 424 No. 8

Written Answers. - Medical Graduates.

Bernard Allen

Ceist:

146 Mr. Allen asked the Minister for Education if he will clarify the situation wherein the secretary of his Department, in evidence to the Committee of Public Accounts, stated that the medical schools are producing the number of graduates needed, while the Minister for Health has said recently that the funding spent on producing an oversupply of Irish medical graduates should be redirected to invest in post-graduate education; and if he will make a statement on the matter.

Minister for Education (Mr. S. Brennan)

Forecasting of medical personnel needs for the health services is a matter for the Department of Health. Medicine is one of the few university faculties where a limitation on the intake of Irish students applies. The current annual intake figure for such students was agreed between my Department, the Higher Education Authority and the Department of Health. A decision has not been taken at this time to reduce the present student intake to the medical schools.