Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Yes, I think we are. A later, substantial amendment deals with what guidelines CORU will put in place for employers to certify that the type of work experience discussed in this amendment is legitimate and can be considered sufficient to be registered. There are a few different aspects to the matter. The first is whether we are in compliance with EU law. Part of what this does is it makes sure we comply with our EU obligations. As committee members will be aware, we recognise medical or nursing qualifications from any member state and the UK. One amendment we will deal with later is to allow UK medical students or medical graduates to do internships in Ireland; the post-Brexit aspect is recognised. We have established practice and regulation around recognising qualifications and experience from other EU member states and the UK. We may be thinking of the same cases.

There have been doctors, for example, who were granted a licence to practice here, including from the UK, and things did not turn out so well. That is an ongoing matter for the regulator, the Medical Council, the employer, and CORU, in this case, for social care workers. The obligation in the first instance is with the employer. If any employer hires anyone from anywhere, from our country, the UK or any EU member state, there is an obligation on the employer to make sure that person is fit to practice, adequately supervised and that all of the necessary, normal patient safety issue measures are in place.

An additional benefit of moving to a regulated profession - exactly the Deputy’s point - is that for the first time ever, social care workers will be obliged to do continuous professional development. In a 12-month period, they have to do quite a significant amount. This is completely new. To date, this has been an unregulated profession, even though we have some very fine college graduates with superb training and degrees in the area.