Licensing
What we regulate
What the RPII regulates
The RPII regulates and licences over 1700 practices in Ireland. These include
- Hospitals
- Dentists
- Veterinary surgeons
- Universities
- Institutes of technology
- Industrial users.
The RPII also regulates the exposure of aircrew to cosmic radiation, and, where appropriate, work activities involving Naturally Occurring Radioactive Materials (NORM).
The numerical breakdown of the different types of licensees, in October 2008, was:
- Dental. 896 licensees, amounting to 53 per cent of the total. Some licences cover more than one practice, and 34 licences are registered to the HSE areas covering public dental clinics.
- Industrial. 318 licensees – 19 per cent of the total – including manufacturing, quality control and non-destructive testing applications.
- Veterinary. 245 veterinary licensees – 14 per cent of the total. They mainly comprise private veterinary surgeries with a single portable X-ray unit based at a fixed location, though some use their portable units off-site.
- Medical. 169 licensees - covering DXA scanning, diagnostic radiology, nuclear medicine and radiotherapy applications.
- Distributor. 50 licensees - licensed for distribution of radioactive material and/or irradiating apparatus, supplying services across all sectors.
- Education/research. 21 licensees - includes those who use both sealed and unsealed sources for teaching and research.
- State (other). 5 licensees – including the RPII.