Pádraig Mac Lochlainn (Donegal North East, Sinn Fein)
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Question 189: To ask the Minister for Health the reason a social worker who lives on the Border must pay an annual fee to the National Social Work Qualification Board together with an annual fee to CORU before they can practice on both sides of the Border; and if social work qualifications should be recognised on both sides of the Border to avoid this duplication. [14587/11]

James Reilly (Dublin North, Fine Gael)
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CORU is the umbrella body responsible for protecting the public by regulating health and social care professionals. It includes the Health and Social Care Professionals Council and the 12 registration boards to be established under the Health and Social Care Professionals Act 2005. The Health and Social Care Professionals Council was established in March 2007 and has been working to put in place the necessary structures for registration, education and fitness to practise for the twelve health and social care professions designated in the Act . The first registration board under the Health and Social Care Professionals Council, the Social Workers Registration Board, was established in August 2010, and the opening of the Social Workers Register on 31st May 2011 to accept registrants marks the start of statutory registration of this profession. CORU will enable health and social care professionals to practice in a regulated manner while providing the highest level of patient care and service.

I presume the Deputy refers in his question to the situation where social workers are required to register in Northern Ireland with the Northern Ireland Social Care Council and in the South with CORU. The National Social Work Qualifications Board was dissolved in March 2011 and its functions in relation to "non-national qualifications" were assumed by the Social Workers Registration Board of CORU. The competent authority for the assessment of social work qualifications in Ireland is the Social Workers Registration Board and, in Northern Ireland, the competent authority is the Northern Ireland Social Care Council.

There is no mutual recognition agreement in place between the two jurisdictions in relation to social work. Instead, the provisions of Directive 2005/36/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 7 September 2005 on the recognition of professional qualifications affords the opportunity to interested persons to have their qualifications recognised to work in both jurisdictions. This Directive applies to all EEA nationals wishing to practise a regulated profession in an EU Member State other than that in which they obtained their professional qualifications, on either a self-employed or employed basis. Its intention is to make it easier for certain professionals to practise their professions in European countries other than their own, but due safeguards are provided in the assessment of the qualification for public health and safety and consumer protection. The Directive also contains provisions in relation to the provision of temporary services where a service provider, established in one member state, wishes to provide services in another member state on a temporary basis.

For the purposes of the Directive, a regulated profession is defined as a professional activity, access to which is subject, directly or indirectly, by virtue of legislative, regulatory or administrative provisions to the possession of specific professional qualifications i .e. where statutory registration exists. Hence a statutory registration fee is payable in the two jurisdictions should a person wish to practise their profession in the two jurisdictions.