686. Deputy Marie Sherlock asked the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science the reason there is no graduate degree orthotics course offered in Ireland. [66516/26]

My Department is working closely with the Department of Health to address critical skills needs and expand training places in crucial disciplines such as medicine, nursing, pharmacy, therapies and other health and social care disciplines. When a need arises in a particular discipline, my Department consults with the relevant Department to determine the appropriate course of action. In the case of disciplines such as orthotics this would be the Department of Health.

To date, targeted expansion under the cross-government expression of interest processes, have supported additional capacity in areas such as disability therapies, health and social care professions, nursing, pharmacy and medicine. My Department will continue to work with the Department of Health to support responses to its identified critical needs and to continue to expand delivery of training to meet these needs.

As autonomous higher education institutions, universities and technological universities are responsible for determining their own academic portfolios and for the development, validation, accreditation and governance of programmes. The initiation and progression of a new programme is therefore a matter for the institution concerned, subject to compliance with relevant regulatory and quality assurance requirements. In that context, it is open to higher education institutions, to bring forward proposals for new programmes in response to identified educational, societal or workforce needs.

Any proposal a graduate orthotics programme would be subject to a University's own internal approval processes and would also need to satisfy all relevant regulatory, quality assurance and professional accreditation requirements. In addition, a new programme would need to demonstrate sustainable demand, appropriate clinical placement capacity, access to specialist academic and clinical expertise, and the availability of suitable teaching and clinical facilities.

While my Department recognises the workforce challenges identified across healthcare disciplines, any State-funded targeted expansion of training places would ordinarily arise through a request from the Department of Health identifying the discipline as a priority area for investment through future expression of interest processes.

My officials will continue to engage with the Department of Health and other relevant stakeholders in relation to any future developments or emerging critical skills areas to inform future skills responses.