Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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Departmental officials have been in touch with CORU on the matters raised by the Deputy. CORU has confirmed that the average time it takes Irish qualified physiotherapists to be registered with CORU is eight weeks from commencing the application process. The timeframe for registration of those with overseas physiotherapy qualifications is similar once the ‘recognition’ process is complete.

Physiotherapy qualifications awarded outside the State are assessed through a process of ‘recognition’ which involves comparison of the qualification with the standard of proficiency required of accredited Irish physiotherapy qualifications. Applicants with overseas qualifications must complete the recognition process before registration can be obtained. CORU have confirmed that the average timeframe for internationally accredited physiotherapists to have their qualification recognised is 75.30 days based on data from Q1 – Q3 of 2023.

CORU have implemented, and are implementing, a number of initiatives to help improve the timeframes for both recognition and registration including:

• Full transfer to an online application system.
• Assignment of additional temporary staff resources
• Recruitment of additional expert assessors
• Work has been ongoing to identify possible new approaches for recognition of international qualifications. In addition, new systems operable within the law as it stands are being researched and tested to speed up the process.
• CORU invite applicants whose recognition applications are considered complete to apply for registration at that time so that the recognition and registration tasks can be processed in parallel.
• The frequency of Registration Board meetings has also been increased to allow for quicker decision-making.