Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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I move:

That, pursuant to Standing Order 177, Standing Order 131 is modified to permit an instruction to the Committee to which the Horse Racing Ireland Bill 2015 may be recommitted in respect of certain amendments for which it has power to make provision in the Bill in relation to sections 43(9)(b) and 95A(4)(b) of the Veterinary Practice Act 2005 with regard to the mutual recognition of veterinary qualifications and in particular declarations of language requirements and to change the title of the Bill to take account of these provisions.

I request colleagues to facilitate us when we move onto the amendments. The first two amendments to be discussed will be amendments Nos. 1 and 51. They are quite technical amendments but in order to pass them, the Dáil needs to reconvene temporarily as a committee. We will then go onto Report Stage. I ask colleagues to facilitate us in doing that as I am told this is the proper way to do it.

Perhaps I should explain what we are changing because, as it happens, it has nothing to do with horse racing. Amendments Nos. 1 and 51 are grouped together. I wish to amend the Long Title of the Bill. Following the advice of the Office of the Parliamentary Counsel, we need to amend the Veterinary Practice Act 2005 in respect of the recognition of foreign vets and veterinary nurses for the purpose of transposing EU Directive 2013/55 on the mutual recognition of professional qualifications. This directive had to be transposed by 19 January 2016, so it is pretty urgent that we enact it and use this Bill to do so. Essentially, what I am doing here is recognising the fact that if a veterinary nurse comes to Ireland, for example, he or she will have to have practised for at least one year and have basic English in order to be recognised under the appropriate regulations. Amendments Nos. 1 and 51 seek to provide for this and I ask colleagues for their co-operation and to facilitate us in using this legislation to get that work done. It is the only realistic way to do it in time.