Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 27 July 2021
1618. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Health the status of the transposing of the EU Council Directive 2013/59/EURATOM into Irish law (details supplied); the work that the strategic workforce planning unit in his Department has carried out on this objective to date; the timeline he is working toward to fully implement the directive; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34495/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraCouncil Directive 2013/59/EURATOM (the BSSD), insofar as it relates to the designation of referrers, was fully transposed by the European Union (Basic Safety Standards for Protection Against Dangers Arising from Medical Exposure to Ionising Radiation) Regulations 2018 (S.I. 256 of 2018).
These regulations designate those who may refer for radiological tests, those who may carry them out and other functions; nurses, doctors, dentists and radiographers are designated as appropriate. Physiotherapists are not designated in the regulations and were not designated as referrers under the previous regulations.
It should be noted that not all statutorily regulated professions are designated for the purposes of the BSSD.
The Strategic Workforce Planning Unit in my Department is liaising closely with various stakeholders, including the HSE and colleagues in other government departments to ensure that the introduction of new models of healthcare are planned and managed effectively to ensure that we have the health professionals required to meet future healthcare needs.
