Emer Currie (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The more the witnesses talk, the more I learn about what it is they are doing. They seem to be very solutions-orientated in terms of bringing projects into the community.

When I read the briefing, my question was around resources. I am also interested in the qualifications. Are there any barriers between the qualifications that people have? One of the issues that comes up again and again is the number of psychologists and therapists. We have a limited number of psychologists getting their doctorates every year. In fact, part of the problem here is that the clinical psychologists are paid for their placements for their three years and they get funding towards their fees, but that does not happen when it comes to educational psychologists or counselling psychologists. I wonder if that is the case in the North as well, given Queen's University does trainee doctorates as well. I ask for the witnesses’ view on that and whether qualifications are a barrier.

The witnesses said they are not policymakers. I want to ask them about the minimum unit pricing that was brought in for alcohol. Obviously, that is a policy that aims to reduce hospitalisations and deaths, but price differentiation is an issue, North and South, or a potential issue - I have not seen the data yet but it has been flagged. We were supposed to move together. We had hoped that both jurisdictions would move together on that but it seems legislation will not be forthcoming in the North until 2023, although there might be a public consultation on it this year. Is that on the radar of CAWT? Is that the kind of thing that gets in the way? Does CAWT have influence to advocate for that to be introduced?

In terms of getting this straight in my head, I want to ask about the current instability in regard to Stormont. How does that affect CAWT? How does that slot in with the North-South Ministerial Council? Is this something that has been set up separately in terms of co-operation or does CAWT link in through the North-South Ministerial Council?