Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy for this question about an important issue which we debated in this House when Deputy Howlin tabled a Bill on this matter that received almost unanimous support. He wanted to make sure that women with crisis pregnancies received accurate and truthful information. We were all appalled by the reporting of Ellen Coyne at the time showing that was not the case and that there were rogue agencies in operation. The regulation of a new profession under the Health and Social Care Professionals Act 2005, involves a consultation process and the making of a number of statutory instruments by the Minister for Health and by the relevant registration board.

In September of last year, the Department engaged, at my instruction, in a formal consultation process in which interested persons and organisations were invited to formally submit their views on how the statutory regulation of counsellors and psychotherapists should proceed. A total of 84 submissions was received by the closing date of 30 November 2016.

I am undertaking an examination of these submissions which will inform the approach to be adopted in progressing the statutory regulation of psychotherapists and counsellors. I envisage that the next steps in the statutory regulation of the profession or professions under the Act will commence in the coming months with the submission of draft designation regulations to the Houses of the Oireachtas.

As the Deputy is aware, the Regulation of Information (Services Outside the State for Termination of Pregnancies) Act 1995 prescribes the conditions for making available information to pregnant women and the public about services lawfully available outside the State for the termination of pregnancies. During the Second Stage debate on the Health and Social Care Professionals (Amendment) Bill 2016, I undertook to have this Act reviewed by my Department to establish if its provisions need to be strengthened. This review is ongoing. For example, subject to the views of the Attorney General, it may be possible to amend this Act, and this is my gut feeling on the issue, to ensure that only registered professionals provide services under the Act. This might be feasible, as expected, if it is decided to proceed with the statutory regulation of counsellors. One goes hand in hand with the other.

Finally, the HSE has developed a quality framework for State-funded crisis pregnancy services. Under the crisis pregnancy programme, 16 such services are funded by the HSE and each is requested to comply with this framework under the terms of its service level agreement. Specifically on that Bill, engagement continues today between Deputy Howlin's advisers and departmental officials on how best to progress it.

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