Jim Daly (Cork South West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I move amendment No. 1:

In page 10, between lines 11 and 12, to insert the following:

"(2) Section 65 of the Health and Social Care Professionals Act 2005 is repealed.".

Thank you Chairman for your welcome. I also thank Deputy Donnelly for his nice welcoming comments, which are very much appreciated. I will come back to his question on Brexit at the first opportunity. The amendments will bring CORU's, the multi-profession health regulator, fitness to practise process into line with those operated by the other health regulators. The Medical Council, the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland, NMBI, the Pharmaceutical Society of Ireland, PSI, and the Dental Council operate a two-stage fitness to practise sanction process wherein the fitness to practise committee may recommend a sanction to the council with the council making the ultimate decision as to the sanction. CORU is an exception, as its legislation currently requires that the council also seeks recommendation from a profession's registration board before determining what sanction should be applied. The council is not required to accept this recommendation. This additional step generates a significant cost and administrative burden on the regulator and has been subject to criticism by the President of the High Court. The additional step also creates an additional financial and emotional burden on the registrant during what is typically an extremely challenging period in his or her life. The amendments will remove the requirement for the council to refer all sanction recommendations by the fitness to practise committee to the registration boards. It should be noted that a representative of each of the designated professions sits on CORU's council.

I also wish to signal that a further amendment will be required on Report Stage to delete the recommendation making it a function of the registration boards contained in section 27 of the Act.