Colm Burke (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister and this Bill. It is important to have proper registration for people who are offering such services. When the review was carried out in 2000 there were only five professional groups subject to statutory registration - doctors, dentists, nurses, opticians and pharmacists. The 2005 Act expanded that to 12 other groups, including clinical biochemists, dieticians, medical scientists, occupational therapists, physiotherapists, psychologists, radiographers, social care workers, social workers and speech and language therapists.

We are dealing with a very big area. In the health and medical care sector, there are more than 18,000 registered medical practitioners and I understand that more than 4,500 of them are people who did not graduate in Ireland. There is a huge movement of professionals in all areas. An advantage of the EU is that people can move freely within the 27 member states and over the years more people are moving from one state to another. Indeed, a large number of professional practitioners have moved to Ireland so it is important that we have a proper procedure in place for registration. I welcome this Bill for that reason.

It is important that the Health and Social Care Professionals Council is fully operational, with all the various sectoral boards registered as well. The Minister said that five are already up and running and another six are due to be established during 2013. This is technical legislation and it is important that it is passed. The registration board is not just about registration but also about ensuring that set standards are reached in respect of education and training and that a set procedure is in place for dealing with complaints, inquiries, discipline and the protection of professional titles.

The EU documentation refers to more than 800 professional qualifications. As more and more people are moving between member states, it is important that we move towards harmonising and recognising qualifications. We are attached to the UK health education system, in that we are more likely to recognise a qualification from a non-European country, for example, India, Pakistan or Nigeria, than we are to recognise qualifications from European countries. Our tendency has been to look towards the UK's education and training process. As we progress further in Europe, there will be greater sharing of information and training and expertise will become more available in Ireland as opposed to the Irish just offering that expertise to other European countries. In this light, it is important that a set of rules apply across the 27 member states.

Not only does the Bill before us deal with the Health and Social Care Professionals Council and the establishment of the registration boards, it also deals with the 2005 directive on same. That directive was a consolidation of 15 other directives and is concerned with the recognition of qualifications. Since it is currently being reviewed, we need to move with the times. I welcome the Minister's work in introducing the Bill and in ensuring that all of the registration boards are set up in a timely manner. Although the legislation has been in place since 2005, we have been slow in putting all of the procedures in place. We need to move faster. I note the Minister's confirmation to the effect that the 12 boards will be up and running within the not too distant future.

Given the work that must be done by the boards and the council, it is important that backup administrative services be in place. The Bill sets out strict timelines for response times to applications and for dealing with appeals and complaints. If the timelines are to work properly, there must be a proper administrative structure.

I welcome this development overall. It is important that the public has a fair protection mechanism that ensures that the quality of service it receives is of the standard expected and required in Ireland and the other 26 member states. I welcome the Bill and look forward to its passage through the House and its enactment at an early date.