Debate contribution: HSC Training Places 2025-26
Debate contribution by Mr Mike Nesbitt on .
- MLA
- Mr Mike Nesbitt
- Party at the time
- Ulster Unionist Party
- Date
- 20 May 2025
- Type
- Debate contribution (made as a minister)
- Business
- Oral Answers to Questions
- Heading
- HSC Training Places 2025-26
- Assembly identifier
- Official Report component 4964085
Read the official Assembly record
Text
I thank the Member for that. The AHP cohort forms the second-largest block in healthcare after nursing, and it is really important. As I said, a record 505 allied health professional preregistration training places are to be commissioned by my Department in this financial year. The breakdown, in which the Member may be interested, is as follows. There will be 110 training places in physiotherapy, which represents a 37% increase over the past two years. There will be 25 places in radiotherapy — sometimes referred to as "therapeutic radiography" — and oncology, which is a 56% increase compared with last year. Ninety-four places will be available in diagnostic radiography, which is a 38% increase over the past two years. Ninety-three places will be available in occupational therapy, which is a 69% increase on last year's commissioned places. There will be 65 places for paramedics, which is a 30% increase on last year. Fifty-six places will be available for speech and language therapy, which is a 100% increase on last year's training numbers. There will be 35 places in dietetics, which is up 66% on last year. There will be 27 places in podiatry, which is a 35% increase on last year. The numbers represent an overall increase of 100 places on training courses commissioned in 2024-25. Those roles are critical to delivering care and enabling service transformation in hospital, community and home settings and will help free up more experienced staff to take on advance practice and leadership roles.
249 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.
Assessment
Jev’s structured answers met the documented threshold for “not flagged”.
- Overall probability that the activity is being used to promote, exploit or escalate an identity-based controversy: 0.02 (flagging needs at least 0.70; at or below 0.30 is not flagged).
- None of the five culture-war criteria was met (each was below 0.60).
- Assessed as legitimate policy scrutiny (0.61).
- No identity-based framing was identified (1.00).
- The overall probability was at or below the not-flagging threshold.
This is an AI-generated assessment of the text, made against published criteria. It is not a finding of fact about the MLA or their intentions. The Assembly record itself is the fact.
Jev’s structured answers
| Question | Probability | Met? |
|---|---|---|
| Identity framing | 0.02 | No |
| Sectarian or communal antagonism | 0.01 | No |
| Cultural grievance politics | 0.01 | No |
| Dog-whistle messaging | 0.01 | No |
| Controversy escalation | 0.02 | No |
| Legitimate policy scrutiny | 0.61 | Yes |
| Overall judgement | 0.02 | At or below not-flagging threshold |
| Option | Probability |
|---|---|
| No identity-based framing (chosen) | 1.00 |
| Reports or questions it | 0.00 |
| Criticises or condemns it | 0.00 |
| Adopts it | 0.00 |
| Subject | Probability |
|---|---|
| No identity-related subject | 1.00 |
| Flags, emblems, symbols, names and memorials | 0.00 |
| Parades, bonfires and commemorations | 0.00 |
| Irish language, Ulster-Scots and language policy | 0.00 |
| Sport (including the GAA), the arts and cultural bodies | 0.00 |
Assessed 21 October 2026 at 12:32 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.
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