Seanad debates

Wednesday, 23 November 2005

Health and Social Care Professionals Bill 2004 [Seanad Bill amended by the Dáil]: Report and Final Stages.

 

1:00 pm

Tim O'Malley (Limerick East, Progressive Democrats)

Amendments Nos. 37 and 44 are technical drafting amendments to correct typographical errors in section 79 and Schedule 1 of the Bill.

Determination of appropriate qualifications for registrants will be a matter for each registration board under section 38. However, the Bill contains transitional arrangements for the registration of existing practitioners. This system of grandparenting applies to those persons who are engaged in the practice of any one of the 12 professions covered by the Bill at the time of the introduction of statutory registration and who wish to be included on the relevant register. A similar arrangement will be available for professions that may be included in the system of statutory registration in the future. Section 90 defines terms used which relate to grandparenting provisions for existing practitioners. These provisions are in turn set out in section 91.

The qualifications required of current practitioners are set out in Schedule 3 of the Bill and are linked to provisions for grandparenting of existing practitioners under section 91. As these are largely Irish-based qualifications, provision needed to be made for practitioners holding corresponding qualifications awarded in other European Union member states. Amendment No. 38 therefore defines "corresponding qualification" while amendment number 39 defines "relevant measure" in line with a definition set out earlier in section 38.

Section 91 requires that a registration board must grant registration to persons who have been engaged in the practice of the relevant health and social care profession at any time during the period of five years before the day the register for the particular profession is opened, provided that the person satisfies the board that he or she either holds a qualification prescribed in Schedule 3 of the Bill or successfully completes an assessment of professional competence, and also satisfies the board that he or she is a fit and proper person to engage in the practice of that profession.

Amendment No. 43 amends section 95 which provides for the Minister's power to make regulations for the effective operation of the system of statutory registration. Section 95(3) provides that, after consulting with the relevant registration board, the Minister may, by regulation, prescribe one or more than one title that is a variant of the title specified under section 4(1) of the Bill. Amendment No. 43 provides that the Minister may also consult any organisations he or she considers appropriate and therefore widens the consultative process.

With regard to the importance of the Irish language, amendments Nos. 1 and 4, inclusive, were made to ensure that the Irish language title of the health and social care professionals council was included as appropriate, a point I omitted earlier.

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