Dan Neville (Limerick, Fine Gael)
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411. To ask the Minister for Health if the delay in validating radiographers who did their training in the UK will be dealt with as a matter of urgency (details supplied) [43218/13]

James Reilly (Dublin North, Fine Gael)
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At present there is no system of statutory registration for radiographers in Ireland. The Health and Social Care Professionals Council which was established in March 2007 provides for statutory registration of twelve separate health and social care professions including radiographers. The Radiographers Registration Board has been established and is expected to open its register shortly.

One aspect of statutory registration is the possession of an “approved qualification”. In the absence of statutory registration, persons are free to work in the private health sector in Ireland without having their qualifications recognised. However, persons wishing to work in the publicly-funded health sector in Ireland who have obtained their qualifications outside the State must apply to have their professional qualifications recognised under Directive 2005/36/EC. Such qualifications are assessed for their equivalence to the Irish entry-level qualifications required to work in the public health sector.

The Directive provides for mutual recognition of qualifications for certain professions. In the case of the health and social care professions, including radiography, the Directive does not provide for automatic recognition of professional qualifications obtained in another Member State. It provides for an assessment, on a case-by-case basis, of the formal qualifications and professional experience of an applicant against the qualifications required to practise in the host member state, i.e. Ireland.

Because of the time-consuming nature of the case-by-case assessment, the Directive sets out timescales for the recognition process. It provides that applications must be acknowledged within one month and the applicant informed of any missing document. A final decision must be communicated to the applicant within 4 months of submission of a complete application. My Department's website advises that persons should not seek employment in their professional capacity in the public health sector unless and until their qualifications have been recognised.

In the case of the applicant to whom the Deputy refers, an incomplete application was initially received on 31 July 2013 and the complete application was received and acknowledged on 5 September 2013. Accordingly, a decision on her application is due by 5 January 2014 which is fully compliant with the Directive's timescales. I appreciate that the Deputy and the applicant would wish that a decision on her application be made sooner. However, the Directive requires that applications are considered on a case-by-case basis to provide for the assessment of both formal training and professional experience against Irish standards which, although time-consuming, is necessary to protect the public. There is also a high volume of applications in the process at any given time.

It is important that persons who propose to obtain their professional training abroad with a view to returning to Ireland to seek employment are aware of the requirements of the Directive which provides a mechanism for persons to have their non-Irish professional qualifications recognised here.