Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 16 January 2013
1016. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Health the role of the new registration authority for social workers, the Health and Social Care Professionals Council; the details of the persons charged with responsibility for setting the registration fee for social workers and on deciding the expenditure plan of this body; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1101/13]
View answer1017. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Health the role of the new Health and Social Care Professionals Council; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1102/13]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 1016 and 1017 together.
The Health and Social Care Professionals Council and the twelve registration boards to be established under the Health and Social Care Professionals Act 2005 (the Act). It is responsible for protecting the public by regulating health and social care professionals. The Council was established in March 2007 and is working to put in place the necessary structures for registration, education and fitness to practice for the twelve health and social care professions, including social workers, designated under the Act.
The Council's role is to oversee and coordinate the activities of registration boards and to provide administrative support to the boards and their committees. The Council will also be responsible for enabling committees of inquiry into complaints against registrants. The first registration board to be established, the Social Workers Registration Board, was established in August 2010, and the associated Social Workers Register opened for receipt and processing of applications on 31st May 2011. Since then, a further four registration boards have been established, three of them on November 1st last. All twelve registration boards and their registers are expected to be established by 2015. e role of a registration board includes the establishment and maintenance of a register of members of the relevant designated profession, the approval of qualifications to be required of persons wishing to register, monitoring the suitability of approved education and training programmes, and making recommendations to the Council with respect to disciplinary sanctions to be imposed on a registrant against whom a substantiated complaint about his/her conduct or competence has been made.
The Health and Social Care Professionals Council is an independent statutory body responsible for setting the level of fees for registration under the Act and for retention of registration. The Council formulates annual costed Business Plans setting out its proposed programme of work. The Act provides for the appointment by the Council of a Chief Executive Officer to carry on, manage and control generally the administration and business of the Council and the registration boards. The Health and Social Care Professionals Council consists of 13 lay members including the chairperson, and 12 professional members, one for each designated profession. All members are appointed by the Minister for Health. In time, each registration board will nominate one of its elected members to be appointed to the Council as the relevant professional member.
