Seán Power (Kildare South, Fianna Fail)

It is not considered appropriate that a member of a registration board under the aegis of the health and social care professionals council should be based outside the State. I am conscious that, in more general terms, expertise from abroad may sometimes be helpful. If the expertise of an education representative from outside the State is considered necessary, such a person could be invited to sit in a committee of a registration board in accordance with section 32 or under section 12, which provides that the council can make and carry out arrangements with any person or body to assist it, a registration board or a committee of the council in performing their functions or exercising their powers under the Act.

On the school of podiatry, we have been making much progress in that regard. We have had a number of meetings with the HEA, the HSE and the Department of Education and Science and we hope that position will be rectified in the near future. I am not in a position to accept the Senator's amendment.