Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 25 January 2022
588. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health the reason medical graduates from the UK or Northern Ireland are no longer eligible to apply for internships with the HSE; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3129/22]
View answerAs the Deputy may be aware, eligibility for access to medical intern training posts is set out in the Medical Practitioners Act 2007. While registration with the Medical Council is an entirely separate process to applying for employment as an Intern, all applicants for internship posts must be eligible for registration with the Medical Council at application stage and must be registered with the Medical Council prior to commencing their internships. As a consequence of Brexit, the Medical Practitioners Act currently precludes graduates from UK medical schools from applying for intern posts in Ireland. I am aware of this issue and officials in my Department have been engaging with the Medical Council to establish the required legislative changes to the Medical Practitioners Act to restore the pre-Brexit position. Significant progress has been made on this and I expect to be in a position to seek Government approval to draft the General Scheme of the Bill shortly, with a view to enactment later this year.
The Deputy may wish to note that while UK medical degree holders are currently ineligible for Internship in Ireland, following successful completion of the first Foundation year in the UK, these individuals are of course eligible for registration on the General/Trainee division of the Medical Council Register and eligible to continue with a medical career in Ireland should they so wish.
