Alex White (Dublin South, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputies for their contributions to this Second Stage debate and note from what I have heard, and I have heard a great deal, that there is broad support for the Bill before the House. The main purpose of this relatively short Bill is to amend the Health and Social Care Professionals Act 2005 to provide for the enhanced and effective functioning of the Health and Social Care Professionals Council and the registration boards established under the Act. It is a relatively short Bill. This type of legislation is often described as technical. Deputy Catherine Murphy suggested it is easy to describe a measure as technical but often technical provisions in legislation have enormous impact and are of great importance and relevance. That applies in this case, for example, to the professions concerned and, ultimately, to the public in terms of the confidence it has in the various professions, the fact they are registered and regulated to a degree, that there is public knowledge of that, that there is transparency and a broad understanding of the standards that apply in the different professions, and that those standards are maintained and, to the extent appropriate, supervised. That is in the interests of the community, society and the professions. There is a common cause on that - I do no think any Member has questioned the necessity for that kind of system.

Some issues were raised in the course of the debate as to the delay or the belief that there has been an inordinate delay in bringing forward additional proposals such as those in this amending legislation. I return to the point that whereas it can be suggested such enactments are technical, they are also often very complex and require careful consideration and drafting. On the issue of the speed at which these things have been done or are done, the question of which professionals are to be dealt with in this legislation was set out in the 2005 Act. There are 12 designated professions and it is those within the parameters of the 2005 Act we are dealing with in the Bill before the House. I heard a good deal of the debate and the contributions, including that of Deputy Neville, which springs from a very long and close involvement in the areas with which he dealt. I am quite sure that when we come to deal with Committee Stage, the issue of the scope of the legislation is something that can be addressed by colleagues.

I thank colleagues for their kind words to me. I look forward very much to my role in the Department of Health dealing with the issue of primary care but other matters also, as I am discovering by the hour. It is a significant challenge that I intend to embrace from the outset.

I also endorse and emphasise the issue raised by many colleagues about all the professions in the health and social care areas. Some terrific, professional, dedicated and committed people work in these professions and they serve their patients and the broader community well. We are currently debating the constitutional amendment proposal for new provisions in respect of children and the role and contribution of social workers features regularly. The social work profession sometimes comes in for grossly unfair and ill-informed criticism and the commitment of the profession, particularly, although not exclusively, in the area of child welfare must be acknowledged. The same goes for each profession that is required to be registered and regulated under the legislation. I acknowledge that colleagues on all sides agree with this.

I refer to the provisions relating to the mutual recognition of professional qualifications throughout the EU and the recognition of qualifications domestically. They will assist us in this State but will also assist Irish health professionals who travel abroad. This model has been developed at European level and the achievement of the best common set of standards is important because there are different histories and contexts in each member state. However, increasingly, the standards required of professionals in the health and social care fields are converging internationally and it would make sense that standards ought not to differ too much in the context of the qualification needed to practise in these professions. It is correct that we should move towards a better regime for the mutual recognition of qualifications.

We should not imagine that because the legislation is technical that it will fail to have an impact. I look forward to the constructive examination of this important Bill on Committee Stage.

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