Fergal Browne (Fine Gael)

This debate is turning into a farce. The purpose of the Bill and the reason we all welcomed it was that it would afford protection to members of the public whereby if a person had an illness or an injury he or she would be able to attend the right person, so to speak. It would also afford regulation to the professions which would be beneficial for them. In addition, as Senator Henry pointed out, if a medical practitioner refers a patient to another person, the medical practitioner would have some guarantee at least that that person is properly qualified.

Nobody is saying that the two kinds of therapists are the same, but our amendments are clear. We acknowledge there are two major bodies, namely, physiotherapists and physical therapists. They do different work and have a different educational background. I will pose the same question Senator Ryan posed during the debate on an earlier amendment. If this amendment is not accepted and the title "physiotherapist" applies as it currently stands, does that mean that a person can come into the country tomorrow, start practising as a physical therapist and not be regulated? Surely that is in nobody's interest, certainly not that of the patient, the physiotherapist or the physical therapist.