Billy Kelleher (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Regarding the next steps, once the counsellors' and psychotherapists' registration board has been established and its members appointed, the board will be asked to advise the Health and Social Care Professionals Council and the Minister. I suppose it is, in this context, advice. Who is ultimately the person or entity that makes final decisions? Ms Walsh said the board will be asked "to advise ... on ... the outstanding issues [including] professional titles to be protected by regulation under the Act and the qualifications that ought to be required of existing practitioners in order to register". I am rereading her words to point out what I am trying to establish. She also said the board will draft various by-laws. This goes back to the original question about advice. Who, ultimately, makes the final decisions on who can be registered, the training programmes and so on? Is it the health and social care professionals, the Minister or the board?