Ann Ormonde (Fianna Fail)

I had not intended speaking on this Bill but I felt obliged to say a few words having listened to the debate. We are all aware of people working in the area of therapy against whom complaints have been made. It is important to have a statutory establishment of a professional council. The registration boards would give a curriculum vitae of their professional qualifications, education and training and if complaints are made, they will be on the register. That is welcome.

In my own area, that of psychology, the word "counsellor" can vary in meaning. We have financial counsellors, beauty counsellors and so on but we do not know how the word "counsel" became associated with my profession. I would prefer to drop the word and use "adviser" instead. We guide people or whatever, but we do not counsel them in the sense of the word I interpret. Perhaps that could be incorporated in the details of the compilation of the registration.

I listened carefully to what Senator O'Toole said about the complaints system. It is necessary to have a method in place to deal with the procedures but in cases involving a clinical or an educational psychologist, with the variation in the definition of each type of psychologist, if a complaint is made it does not necessarily mean that the psychologist was not qualified to do the job. It may just mean that the personality of the person concerned did not work in respect of the case in question. We need to be careful, therefore, how we process complaints made. I would like that noted on Committee Stage so that the professionals will be reassured in respect of complaints that will come forward. There will always be somebody who does not like them and they will question their adequacy to be professional. The types of complaint made and the personality of the person making the complaint should be taken into account under the complaints procedure. I can only speak from experience in my own area.

This legislation is welcome and long overdue. We have had many experiences in the professions, particularly in the therapy area, of people who are not suitably qualified setting themselves up as therapists. Putting in place the registration board and the other boards — there is a list of approximately 12 — might lend itself to the other professionals as well. I endorse the Bill and I hope the points made by Senator O'Toole will be taken into account, as well as my own view on the type of complaints that will be made.