Jerry Buttimer (Cork South Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Given the escalation of mental health issues in society, there is growing concern about an increase in the number of less-than-qualified people offering advice under the guise of being qualified counsellors and psychotherapists. As somebody who has engaged with these and who was there myself, I know it is a sensitive and important area. We saw what happened in recent weeks. The committee members are unanimous in saying that we do not want to be in a legal situation that causes untold trouble down the line. We need to see an end to the situation in which people can open their weekly newspaper or parish newsletter to see an advertisement saying person X is available to do A, B or C when that person's qualification is not worth the paper it is written on. This is what we are all afraid of. People go to such practitioners and come out worse than when they went in. We must stop this. I respect and understand where the Minister is coming from.