Vol. 541 No. 2
329 Mr. Connaughton asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Rural Development the reason a veterinary surgeon trained in Switzerland cannot be registered to work as a veterinary surgeon here; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22050/01]
Under the Veterinary Surgeons Act, 1931, as amended, responsibility for entry of persons on the Register of Veterinary Surgeons for Ireland rests with the Veterinary Council. Under this legislation, the council may enter on the register only persons who are citizens of, and hold an appropriate qualification from, an EU member state or from certain countries within the European Economic Area. In the absence of any details of the case referred to by the Deputy, it is unclear as to whether the specific individual in question is eligible for entry on the register. This issue can be clarified by the individual himself/herself contacting the registrar of the Veterinary Council. Alternatively, if the Deputy wishes to provide me with the details, I will ask the registrar to provide the necessary clarification.
A Bill to expand and modernise the legislation governing the veterinary profession and ancillary disciplines is currently at the drafting stage.
