Source document: https://docs-lawep.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/1697803552363.pdf (Ireland)
OPENING STATEMENT BY THE DEPARTMENT OF FURTHER AND HIGHER EDUCATION, RESEARCH, INNOVATION AND SCIENCE JOINT COMMITTEE ON AGRICULTURE, FOOD AND THE MARINE HEARING OF WEDNESDAY 10TH MAY 2023 Cathaoirleach and members of the committee, I would like to thank the Committee for the invitation to come here today to discuss the topic of a new school of Veterinary Medicine in Ireland.
I am Keith Moynes and I am Assistant Secretary with responsibility for higher education in the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science.

This Department is responsible for the policy, funding and governance framework for the tertiary education, research and innovation system, which includes higher education and further education providers.
Among our core aims is to support the sector in responding to regional and national demand for skills and innovation to support Ireland’s economy and society, including agriculture and the agri-food industry.

We work very closely with national agencies, including the Higher Education Authority who I know the Committee has heard from earlier.
Higher education institutions routinely engage with employers to ensure that graduate output aligns with the needs of enterprises, public services and the wider economy, and much of this would be done at an institutional level.

In certain cases, however, there is a need to take a national level perspective, including where Government Departments are leading workforce development initiatives to support public services or specific areas of the economy.
In these cases our Department seeks to work with other Government Departments to support them in articulating their workforce requirements, so that they can determine the scale of the required graduate pipeline.

In the case of veterinary medicine, the relevant partner is the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine.
Working closely with the Higher Education Authority, we seek to engage with the higher education system to determine the potential for the system to deliver in areas of skills demand, the nature of such provision and what enablers are required.

The proposals which arise from such a process must be assessed having regard to resource availability both in terms of recurrent and capital expenditure and relative prioritisation of competing demands, all in the context of the Public Spending Code.
Current Veterinary provision Turning specifically to veterinary provision, since the late 1970s, UCD has been the only higher education institution to provide a Veterinary Medicine programme in the State, with both undergraduate and graduate programmes.
UCD also provides a level 8 full time undergraduate Veterinary Nursing course, as well as full time and part time postgraduate programmes which includes PhDs and Research Masters, a doctorate in veterinary medical specialisation and postgraduate certificates in areas such as dairy herd health, small animal medicine and equine sports medicine.

Veterinary nursing programmes are also available in Atlantic Technological University, Technological University of the Shannon, and Dundalk Institute of Technology.
While there are no official statistics available on how many Irish students study outside the State in different disciplines, the Department is certainly aware that a number of Irish students travel outside the State every year to study veterinary medicine in institutions in the UK and Central and Eastern Europe.

There are many reasons why students seek to study in institutions outside the State, and international mobility can be a positive experience for learners.
However, the Department’s understanding is that there is a relatively higher proportion of veterinary students studying internationally relative to other disciplines and Minister Harris is on record as saying that he wants to see more Irish students being able to study veterinary medicine in Ireland.
As with any academic discipline which is regulated, involves significant practical and placement work, and requires clinical facilities, there are real, material limits on the number of places that can delivered without very significant additional investment.
Expressions of Interest Process In order to understand the expansion in provision which could be possible, in October last year, the Higher Education Authority issued an expression of interest (EOI) to the Higher Education sector seeking responses from institutions interested in building capacity in Dentistry, Pharmacy, Medicine, Nursing, and Veterinary.
EOIs were sought from institutions with capability to expand existing courses or create new courses in these areas from the 2024/25 or 2025/26 academic years.

The HEA assessed the applications with an independent panel of experts.

The panel was comprised of representatives from Government Departments and regulatory and professional bodies that have direct professional experience and/or academic expertise in the relevant disciplines, or knowledge of the higher education system at a senior level.
The HEA provided its recommendations to the Minister on the 31st March 2023, and the report identifies options for enhancement of veterinary provision in Ireland, subject to resources and other critical enablers.

Next Steps: Minister Harris has engaged in the first instance with his Cabinet colleagues, the Minister for Health, and the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine in relation to the HEA’s recommendations.
The expansion opportunities identified, if implemented, would have the potential to lead to a significant change in the number of domestic graduates which Ireland could produce in relevant disciplines over the next decade.

However it is important to recognise that these opportunities come with a very significant associated cost both in terms of capital, and ongoing staffing and resource implications.
These will require careful consideration by the Departments concerned, and in due course, by Government in the context of future Estimates and engagements on capital allocations.
It is important to say that the assessment and deliberative process on these matters is ongoing, and Minister Harris intends updating Government in the coming period in order to: • advise his colleagues of the opportunities identified through the EOI process, • • to outline the costs that could arise with any expansion proceeded with and to update on his engagements with his Ministerial Colleagues in Health and Agriculture, Food and the Marine.
Given where we are in the process, and in advance of any discussions by Government, I hope the Committee will understand that it is not possible for me to elaborate on any potential outcomes of the process.

More generally, both the Minister and the Department will continue to engage across Government to identify priorities for the coming years and will continue to work with the HEA and the Higher Education sector to ensure alignment of graduate output with existing and emerging skills needs.
Thank you, and I am happy to assist the Committee in its considerations.

ENDS