Neale Richmond (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael)
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171. To ask the Minister for Health if his attention has been drawn to the fact that there are many qualified nurses living in Ireland who received their qualifications in Australia but they are not recognised in Ireland; if he will take steps to recognise these qualifications; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32865/22]

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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The Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland (NMBI) welcomes applications to the Register from all over the world. All nurses and midwives practising in Ireland must be registered with NMBI. A key function of NMBI is the registration of overseas nurses and midwives, and these applicants must meet standards as set out in a European Union Directive (2005/36). If applicants who were educated as nurses and midwives outside the EU do not meet the theoretical and practice component required but do meet the minimum threshold to proceed to compensation measures, applicants have the option to complete either an adaptation programme, usually carried out in a hospital, or to sit examinations to have their competence verified. It is essential that applicants meet the requirements in order to protect the public.

Qualifications obtained by applicants in jurisdictions outside the EU are assessed on a case-by-case basis. NMBI currently has six applications from Australia that will require an education assessment in order to determine if their undergraduate education meets the standards and requirements of the EU Directive. These are being processed as efficiently as possible.