Mary Mitchell O'Connor (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

379. To ask the Minister for Health the steps taken to ensure that balance is achieved between the public interest and the interests of practitioners and service providers when appointments are made to the registration boards established for designated professions under the Health and Social Care Professionals Act 2005; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40194/15]

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

Under the Health and Social Care Professionals Act 2005, registration boards established for the designated professions consist of 13 members, comprising 6 professional members and 7 other members. It has been the policy and practice to appoint lay people to these 7 positions thereby ensuring a lay majority on the boards.

These members include:

(i) 1 representative of the management of the public health sector, the social care sector or both sectors;

(ii) 1 representative of the management of a voluntary or private sector organisation concerned with health or social care;

(iii) 1 representative of third level educational establishments involved in the education and training of members of the profession nominated by the Minister for Education and Science; and

(iv) 4 representatives of the public interest.

My Department, in conjunction with the Public Appointment Service (PAS), currently advertises for lay vacancies on registration boards as they arise.