Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 18 April 2023
478. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if non-Irish healthcare assistants with level 7 or level 8 relevant equivalent qualifications will only be permitted to renew their employment permits if they complete the NFQ level 5 apprenticeship for the occupation of healthcare assistant, once this has been established; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16592/23]
View answerIn response to work undertaken by my Department and the Department of Health, access was provided to the General Employment Permit in June 2021 for the role of healthcare assistant. The framework agreed with the Department of Health included the requirement for the employment to offer a remuneration level of €27,000 or more and for the permit holder to attain a relevant qualification of at least QQI Level 5 after 2 years employment in the State.
My officials are working with the Department of Health in relation to clarification of qualification comparisons to determine if nursing qualifications achieved from outside the EEA at an equivalent Level 7 or 8 include the requisite modules, standards and requirements provided as learning to this QQI level 5.
The framework around access to this Employment Permit as agreed with the Department of Health included the requirement for the employment to offer a remuneration level of €27,000 or more and for the permit holder to achieve a relevant Level 5 Quality and Qualifications Ireland (QQI) qualification after two years employment in the State. The Level 5 qualification after two years is the minimum required for this role. This criterion was established to ensure all workers in the Health Care Assistant role would work towards building their skills and range of qualifications and in safeguarding the care of vulnerable patients that a similar standard of learning will be met and delivered upon across care settings.
It would be preferable if all Health Care Assistants obtained the QQI level 5 award as stated. However, it is now clear that some Health Care Assistant staff who are availing of the employment permits have other qualifications, aligned to the care industry but not as Health Care Assistants.
The HSE currently accept QQI Level 5 or equivalent as part of their eligibility criteria. It is therefore reasonable to accept a healthcare award at Level 6/7/8 instead of the QQI Healthcare Support Level 5 award for employment permit purposes, where the clinical lead in the organisation or the employer provides assurances to the Department of Enterprise Trade and Employment that the staff member has demonstrated the skills, experience, and knowledge to carry out the role competently as compared to those staff members with the QQI L5 qualification. A “sign-off” from the clinical lead in the organisation or employer would be required. A standard form will be available for this purpose. This would allow for those staff who have demonstrated competence to continue to apply for the extension of the permit and identify those staff who may be required to complete the qualification within two years to proceed with a renewal of the employment permit.
