Brendan Ryan (Labour)

I move amendment No. 4:

In page 9, line 17, subsection (2), after "subsection (1)," to insert "and in particular shall, within the period of 12 months from the passing of this Act, so designate the profession of counsellor or therapist,".

Every time I refer to this matter I must declare an interest because I am married to a psychiatrist and, consequently, I do not get an unbiased view of the issue. What troubles me is that in the list of professions to be designated there is no mention of therapists or counsellors. Many people are concerned that some may claim to be psychotherapists who only have a six-month diploma, while others claim to be counsellors who may have a diploma obtained following a 12-month part-time course. Many of those professions probe deeply into vulnerable areas of people's emotions and their personal lives. It is a profession that desperately needs to be regulated through the formal recognition of proper professional qualifications.

The 12 designated professions are listed in section 4(1). Section 4(3)(c) refers to "the resolution, through guidance, counselling or otherwise, of personal, social or psychological problems;" but there are only one or two of the professions to which that could currently apply. Much of what one would call "the resolution, through guidance, counselling or otherwise, of personal, social or psychological problems" occurs outside the profession of psychology and is practised by people who are not qualified as psychologists. A huge number of people are practising that sort of stuff but it is dangerous for untrained, unskilled people to probe other people's subconscious. It is potentially as dangerous as people prescribing limited amounts of medication because one is getting into very dangerous territory. I moved the amendment in order to raise this matter and I appeal to the Minister of State to consider it.

We can discuss on the section some of the criteria that arise later in the Bill concerning how a health or social care professional should be designated. To a degree we are saying that we will follow the market rather than defining it but I am not madly keen on that approach. When dealing with human vulnerability on the one hand, and the designation of professions on the other, one must ask what is good for the public, rather than asking what the public wants. I will raise a number of questions about that when we discuss the section. What proposals does the Minister of State have to regulate counselling and psychotherapy?