Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 8 September 2022
1304. Deputy Ivana Bacik asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science if he plans to increase the number of Irish university places for pharmacy, including new pathways for experienced pharmacy technicians to qualify by way of a part-time qualification course in view of the shortage of retail pharmacists in Ireland. [42560/22]
Amharc ar fhreagra1327. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science his plans to develop accredited courses for pharmacy technicians in order for them to graduate to pharmacist level. [43199/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 1304 and 1327 together.
In June 2022, I announced an extra 1,056 targeted college places to be offered through the CAO for the 2022/2023 academic year. Additional places are being provided on pharmacy technician courses from September 2022 . In addition, a number of additional places have been provided in recent years, leading to the highest number of new entrants beginning their studies in 2020, the most recent year for which statistics are available.
There are also a number of part-time and full-time pharmacy technician and pharmacy assistant courses delivered by the 16 Education and Training Boards (ETBs) around the country. Advice and information on these courses can be sought from the Adult Guidance Service available in each of the 16 ETBs. The Adult Guidance Service is confidential and free of charge and can assist potential learners through all stages of the application process. An appointment can be made via the managing ETB. Alternatively, potential learners can enrol via the Fetchourses.ie website , an online database of over 60,000 Further Education and Training Courses.
The Programme for Government commits the Department of Health to working with the education sectors, regulators, and professional bodies to improve the availability of health professionals and reform their training to support integrated care across the entire health service. My Department is strongly committed to supporting the health of the population through the provision of graduates with the key competencies and skills to be effective in the health workforce, including pharmacists.
My Department does not place a quota on the number of pharmacy places offered by higher education institutions, and as such the number of places provided each year is determined by the institutions themselves in line with their capacity.
My officials are actively engaging with the Department of Health on determining the longer term skills needs of the healthcare services, and the role which the further and higher education sector can play in meeting those skills needs. I will ensure that there is continued engagement with all stakeholders to ensure that we deliver graduates with the skills necessary to support our healthcare system and support the strategic workforce planning by the health sector.
