Officials appointed on or after their absence from adoption leave are required to submit to the Ministry of Social Affairs and the Family the necessary applications for adoption benefits within the required time limits and to meet the requirements set by this service as a prerequisite for access to benefits. Formal ratification of the standards agreements was delayed by more than a year after the employers` organisation Ibec, which represents the hospital`s voluntary management during interviews, sought clarification on how to implement it, particularly for newly promoted staff. However, on November 27, the HSE wrote to Ibec, confirmed that an agreement had been reached and allowed volunteer hospitals to continue the implementation phase.