Taoiseach Simon Harris says Dublin willing to help fund Magee medical places

Back in February the Irish Government announced funding for 25 additional medical places at Queen’s available to qualifying students from anywhere on the island from September 2024. Another 25 will follow the year after.

This week Independent TD Thomas Pringle urged the Taoiseach to expand the scheme to include the School of Medicine at Magee.

"As the Taoiseach can imagine, many young constituents in County Donegal go on to study in the North given its close proximity to home and given the housing shortage in Dublin at the moment.

"At the beginning of this year it was announced that funding would be made available for 25 additional medical students qualifying to study medicine in Queen's University from September 2024 and that, as part of that arrangement, students will pay the €3,000 fee charged in the Republic, with the State covering the rest of the tuition costs.

“This is great news for students in Donegal and across the country looking to study medicine, many of whom will want to come back to the Republic to practise once they graduate.

“Will the Taoiseach ensure that this project is extended to the rest of the universities in the North, such as Ulster University, to allow more students to study medicine, given the severe lack of GPs and the needs that we have here in the South?” he asked.

The Taoiseach, who was minister of Higher Education when the scheme was rolled-out, said: “This is a great initiative. It is great for the island of Ireland, for the north west in particular, for medical education and for opportunities for young people.”

He pointed out that the current Minister for Further and Higher Education Patrick O’Donovan visited the Magee campus on Wednesday.

“We are willing to expand this. Obviously, there has to be two partners and a willingness to do it, although I am not suggesting there is not. From a funding point of view, we see this as a win-win in terms of education, medicine and opportunities for young people,” he declared.

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