Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 10 November 2004
243 Mr. F. McGrath asked the Minister for Education and Science if she will consider putting in place a deal with the training schools at the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland and the NUI Galway in order to provide additional places for Irish students from October 2005. [28431/04]
Amharc ar fhreagra244 Mr. F. McGrath asked the Minister for Education and Science if she will work closely with the Minister for Health and Children to significantly lower the points requirement from 580 to 500 for persons who undertake to work for a number of years within the public health system. [28432/04]
Amharc ar fhreagra245 Mr. F. McGrath asked the Minister for Education and Science if places in medical schools here which are currently being sold to non-EU citizens will be opened up to Irish and EU residents. [28433/04]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 243 to 245, inclusive, together.
As the Deputy may be aware, on 24 September 2003, the Ministers for Education and Science and Health and Children announced details of the membership and terms of reference for a working group on undergraduate medical education and training which has been jointly established to make recommendations on the organisation and delivery of high quality training for doctors in Ireland. The group, which draws on broad representation from medical academia, university, hospital and health board management and Government officials, was set up to examine and make recommendations on a range of aspects of medical education and training in Ireland. This includes the areas of course curriculum, teaching methods, interdisciplinary work and other issues relating to the organisation and delivery of undergraduate medical education and training.
The working group was asked to consider and provide advice on issues arising from a Higher Education Authority, HEA, report which recommended a move to all graduate entry for medicine and other health science disciplines. On foot of this the group has recently presented interim recommendations for significant reform of the entry mechanism to medical education. These recommendations include the introduction of a multi-streamed model of entry to medicine, comprising undergraduate and graduate entry methods, with leaving certificate performance no longer the sole selection method for entry at undergraduate level.
In this regard, it is proposed that selection for entry to undergraduate medicine would be based on two measures. Anyone opting for medicine who achieves 450 leaving certificate points would be eligible for consideration, with places to be allocated on the basis of performance on a separate entry test. These recommendations are a very welcome attempt to address the tremendous pressures that are being placed on students in the second level system as a result of the extremely high leaving certificate points required for entry to medicine and certain other disciplines.
The potential exists for extending the proposed selection approach to other high points disciplines down the road. It is important that the significant implementation issues associated with this proposed change are carefully attended to. I am currently considering the composition and terms of reference of an implementation group for this purpose and intend to bring forward proposals shortly on this front.
I anticipate that the full report of the working group on undergraduate medical education and training will become available in early 2005 and it is my intention to consider the broad range of recommendations that are expected in tandem with my colleague, the Tánaiste and Minister for Health and Children. The question of increasing the numbers of medical places in line with projected health service requirements will be progressed in this context.
