Matt Shanahan (Waterford, Independent)
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May I come in there? I think the issue may be with the registration paperwork. There are nurses and, in particular, care assistants, coming into the State under employee permits who are waiting six to eight months to have their paperwork approved before they can be taken on by the HSE, even though they have the permits to come here. It seems daft, and nurses are ending up operating as healthcare assistants because they cannot get their registrations. This extends to other medical professionals. It is just a constant problem of trying to get qualifications and registration paperwork, the Philippines being a case in point, that has been deemed to have been approved for the permit, yet it is not being accepted here by the medical authorities. I think that is essentially what is at issue.