Ms Ursula Byrne:

Deputy Ó Caoláin is right that in seeking to speed up the registration process, we must not lose sight of the importance of proper scrutiny of applications, in the interests of public safety and the reputation of nursing as a profession in Ireland. Every document that is received from an applicant or on behalf of an applicant is scrutinised with a view to ensuring the information we require is there and that the document does not raise any concerns as to its authenticity. That verification process involves examining not only the document itself but also the envelope in which it arrived. In some instances in which we have had concerns regarding the authenticity of documentation, they have arisen on the basis of the envelope in which the papers were submitted.

There are several steps we go through to verify a document, depending on what it is. For example, we require proof of English language competence for non-EU applicants through the International English Language Testing System, IELTS, test, and that this proof comes from source. From the introduction of the IELTS mechanism in 2003 until very recently, that was done by way of IELTS posting us the results. Now, however, we are able to access the results online.

However, there are 15 different steps in the process of authenticating the document. If we identify a document about which we have doubts, we write to the applicant and say we have concerns about this document and ask them to provide an explanation or clarification of it. In a large number of such cases - it is not a huge volume - we never hear from the applicant again. A note is put on the file that we could not verify the authenticity of documents and the file and application are closed. The application does not progress.