There was an announcement yesterday about a significant expansion in third level places, which will lead to more doctors, nurses, dentists, pharmacists and vets being trained. That is welcome, but how many additional places will be created in occupational therapy, speech and language therapy, psychiatry, psychology and physiotherapy? There is a chronic shortage in these professions, particularly among children's disability network teams, CDNTs, where there is a 34% vacancy rate across all community healthcare organisations, CHOs, and a 64% rate on some teams. There are also shortages in primary care and on child and adolescent mental health services, CAMHS, teams. I hope that the absence of the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth, Deputy O'Gorman, from the announcement does not mean that college places for these professions have not been included.

The report and discussion we had at Cabinet on Tuesday were positive. There is a need for additional places in the areas identified in the Higher Education Authority, HEA, report. It is now for the HEA, the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science and the other line Departments that the Deputy referenced, primarily the Departments of Health and Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth, to develop a similar exercise in respect of the need for additional places in the further education and third level sectors. Those Departments can do that as well.