There are approximately 50 RECs in hospitals, universities and research institutions which consider applications from researchers or pharmaceutical companies. The majority of RECs are attached to hospitals and/or health boards. A fewer number are attached to higher education institutions with the remainder representing a variety of Organisations such as GPs, nurses, the Irish Prison Service and the Irish Travellers Ethics committee. Applications to the RECs then have to be ratified by the Irish Medicines Board.

EU directive 2001/20/EC has been integrated into Irish law through the European Communities (Clinical Trials on Medicinal Products for Human Use) Regulations 2004 which came into effect in May, 2004. The regulations supersede the Control of Clinical Trials Acts 1987 – 1990 for clinical trials using medicinal products. However because of the Act’s definition of the conduct of a clinical trial in Article 6 (as amended), the Act still applies to clinical trials involving non-medicinal substances.

The regulation set up a new supervisory body, the Ethics Committees Supervisory Body to establish and monitor RECs. This committee is based at the Ministry of Health. The Irish Medicines Board is the competent authority required by the Directive for authorisation of clinical trials .

The Irish Council for Bioethics was established in 2002 as an independent, autonomous body to consider the ethical issues raised by recent developments in science and medicine. In 2004, they produced Operational Procedures for Research Ethics Committees: Guidance. Additionally they provide public education on bioethics, issue reports and suggest guidelines.