Vol. 537 No. 5
611 Mr. Durkan asked the Minister for Education and Science if adequate places are available at third level to meet the requirements of nursing and medicine; the extent to which there are positive indicators in this regard; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17313/01]
The revised programme for basic pre-registration nurse education and training is currently funded by the Department of Health and Children. I understand there are some 1,500 training places currently available on the programme. The Commission on Nursing has recommended that the future framework for the pre-registration education of nurses should be based on a four year degree programme which will encompass clinical placements, including 12 months continuous clinical placement as a paid employee of the health service. The commission envisaged that the start of the 2002-03 academic year would be specified as the commencement date of the proposed new degree programme.
As recommended by the Commission on Nursing, the Nursing Education Forum was established by the Minister for Health and Children to agree a strategy for the implementation of degree level pre-registration nursing education and training. The forum reported in October 2000 and the Government has agreed in principle to the introduction of the proposed four year pre-registration nursing degree programme in 2002-03 subject to the satisfactory resolution of certain outstanding issues. These relate to the additional capital and revenue funding required to support the programme and the basis on which nurse teachers will transfer to the higher education sector. As recommended by the forum, the Minister for Health and Children has established an interdepartmental steering group to deal with the funding and policy issues associated with the proposed transition and the integration of the nursing students into higher education. Both my Department and the Higher Education Authority are participating in the work of the group.
The position in relation to medical education is that the current intake to undergraduate medical courses is the subject of a quota, which was introduced in 1980-81 following a report of the Higher Education Authority. The question of reviewing the current quota arrangements is currently being considered by my Department in consultation with the Department of Health and Children.
