Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I could not agree more. As Deputy Brassil will be aware, in the rest of the English speaking world the title of physical therapist and physiotherapist are interchangeable and their users are qualified physiotherapists. We have excellent physiotherapists in this country and I want to protect their title.

In Ireland, however, the title is also used by a number of practitioners who are not physiotherapists but who have been providing musculoskeletal therapies in the private sector for many years. Physiotherapists are trained to provide musculoskeletal, cardiorespiratory and neurological therapies, working in both the public and the private sector.

In January of this year, my predecessor, Deputy Varadkar, announced what I outlined in my previous answer. The Department is preparing the necessary legislation to give effect to these decisions.

The Irish Society of Chartered Physiotherapists issued a press release on 25 January 2016 which stated that it "today welcomed the decision made by the Minister for Health Leo Varadkar to also protect the title Physical Therapist under section 95(3) of the Health and Social Care Professionals Act 2005 which will eliminate the ongoing risk of title confusion between Physiotherapist and Physical Therapist and the consequent risks to public safety". Presuming that it welcomed it then and given that I am assuring it today on the floor of the Dáil that such policy has not changed, I am sure it will still welcome my policy.

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