Mary Henry (Independent)

Yes, many years before. This Bill has been in gestation for some 15 to 20 years. The physiotherapists have been objecting about the matter for a long time. In the legislation in Northern Ireland "physiotherapist" and "physical therapist" are the protected titles.

Can we do something about those people here, who come from one small unit and comprise approximately 200 people? They do not need the same qualifications to get into that unit as one needs to qualify as a physiotherapist in the universities, one of the most difficult courses to get into as it requires some of the highest points. Those who run the Institute of Physical Therapy and Applied Science Limited, 17-18 Priory Hall, Stillorgan have been open with me about their courses. They do not require people to have anything like the admission requirements required for physiotherapy. The course is not the same in content or length. It is not a university qualification but is from a limited institute, which I am sure is very good. Most of the treatment the physical therapists give appears to be manual, which patients like because it is hands-on. Perhaps they could be called manual therapists.

The problem is not what the physical therapists are doing and is not concerned with trying to deny them a living. The problem is the protection of a title. I have quoted from two Acts, one from Australia and one from the United Kingdom. I am sure I could find more that show that the protected titles "physiotherapist" and "physical therapist" go together. We are supposed to be trying to ensure we are on a par with international title protection and nomenclature. Nobody is trying to harm the physical therapists. There must be some way to accommodate them. They should set up their own register and bring forward an agreed title. They should bring forward what they consider suitable training to the Department of Health and Children, to see if they can be set up and recognised. We will have to consider other people in the same manner, for example, psychotherapists and counsellors. Thankfully, it is the council that will have to do this, not us.

The issue must be examined. I provided the dates of the Acts from the United Kingdom and Victoria of which we must take account.