Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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I thank Deputy O'Reilly. I suggest we could further discuss these matters between now and Report Stage. The purpose of these amendments, and the reason I am not in a position to support them today, is to bring forward the end of the application period for recent IPTAS graduates from December 2019 to September 2018 in the case of recent such graduates and to September 2019 in the case of current students who will graduate in 2019 from the final IPTAS programme. The amendments presumably intend that those who have graduated since 2013 will have a one-year application period which will commence in September of this year. As it is likely the Bill will not be enacted until autumn at the earliest, that September 2018 deadline is now out of synch with the intention of the Bill. The Bill sets the application period for recent IPTAS graduates, in other words those who have graduated since 2013, and for current students graduating in 2019 at 31 December 2019. This will require current students to qualify and apply in the same year and it is a reasonable end date in the circumstances. I also think that introducing different application periods for different post-2013 graduates could complicate matters further. The Bill already provides for a separate one-year application period for graduates who qualified before 2013 and who demonstrate practice under the title of physical therapist for a period of two years in the previous five years. On the competence test the Deputy raised and which I referred to in my opening remarks, it is something I hear as a legitimate issue that people want to see further teased out and I am happy to do so in the process of our engagement before Report Stage.