Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

In response to Deputy O'Connell's question about the increase in the number of consultants and non-consultant hospital doctors, NCHDs, doctors getting more regular work hours and sleep leads to an improvement in service, but the increase in NCHDs was largely to deal with the European Working Time Directive. The increase in the number of consultants is a separate and distinct issue that should lead to service improvements. The HSE may want to comment further on that.

I am very pleased with the significant progress on the National Maternity Hospital. When there was a lot of public concern a few weeks ago I asked for a month to ensure engagement with the National Maternity Hospital, Holles Street, and the St. Vincent's Healthcare Group. The officials and the Secretary General in the Department have done Trojan work in engaging with the hospitals and the Sisters of Charity have made a very significant decision to withdraw from the St. Vincent's Healthcare Group. Several things happened immediately, including that the Sisters of Charity stepped down from the St. Vincent's Healthcare Group board. That is a concrete and tangible example of the ultimate separation of Church and State. I acknowledge the huge contribution that order made to health care. That has dealt with one of the most significant concerns people had in respect of this, that there would be religious interference, whether real or perceived, in any shape or form in the provision of maternity services which nobody wants to see happen. Any concern about a religious ethos has been removed.

The other concern was who would own the asset the State was going to invest significant taxpayers' money in. There is still engagement between the Department and the St. Vincent's Healthcare Group on that. That engagement has been positive, constructive, and everybody is trying to find a satisfactory solution. I hope to be a position to report progress on that to Government and the Oireachtas very shortly.

I am pleased that the Deputy raised the issue of rogue crisis pregnancy agencies because I have been extraordinarily concerned about the idea that someone who finds herself in a vulnerable position due to an unexpected pregnancy, or some other difficulty, seeks advice and support from somebody who is rogue. We have seen despicable examples in this country of nonsense, mistruths and disgusting things said to women in a very vulnerable position, which is not information. I was serious about trying to put concrete measures in place to rectify this. After significant engagement with the Department we arrived at the conclusion that the best way to address this was to regulate the professions of counsellors and psychotherapists. Someone who wants to call himself or herself a counsellor or psychotherapist must meet standards and be regulated and the person going to get information can see the plaque on the wall to say this is a regulated, authorised, legitimate counsellor or psychotherapist.

This is an extraordinarily difficult area to regulate. It has been tried for many years in the UK but it has not been done. I am pleased we are going to do it here. I went out to public consultation to give stakeholders an opportunity to have their say. We received approximately 84 submissions and last month after reading those submissions I decided to proceed with the designation of two distinct professions under the Health and Social Care Professionals Act 2005. Each of these professions will have its own register under one registration board. I have communicated this decision to CORU, to the relevant professional bodies and to anybody who took part in the public consultation process. I committed to do this work and have done it in advance of the summer recess. Now I will turn it into the necessary regulations to designate these professions and these regulations will be drafted by the Office of the Parliamentary Counsel and will require the prior approval of the Dáil and Seanad. I hope to be in a position to bring these to the Houses in September. This will be a very significant measure. There has been cross-party support for it.