Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick East, Labour)
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Question 180: To ask the Minister for Health and Children her plans to amend legislation to differentiate between physiotherapists and physical therapists; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [5077/09]

Mary Harney (Dublin Mid West, Progressive Democrats)
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The Health and Social Care Professionals Act 2005 provides for the establishment of a system of statutory registration for 12 health and social care professionals, including physiotherapists. This new system of statutory registration will apply to the 12 professions regardless of whether they work in the public or private sector or are self-employed and is the first time that fitness to practise procedures will be put in place for these professionals on a statutory basis. The structure of the system of statutory registration will comprise a registration board for each of the professions to be registered, a Health and Social Care Professionals Council with overall responsibility for the regulatory system and a committee structure to deal with disciplinary matters. While the proposed system of statutory registration applies, in the first instance to 12 health and social care professions, the legislation empowers the Minister for Health and Children to include, on the basis of specific criteria, additional health and social care professions in the regulatory system by regulation over time, as appropriate.

The first step in the implementation of the system was the establishment of the Health and Social Care Professionals Council, launched in March 2007. The Council has now recruited a Chief Executive Officer in May of last year and is currently putting in place a suitable organisational structure. The Council has examined which professions from within the designated 12 are most suitable for early registration and has decided to appoint the first two of 12 statutory Registration Boards, provided for under the Act. The Social Workers Registration Board and the Physiotherapists Registration Board are the first two registration boards prioritised for registration initially, to be completed by early 2009.

The Health and Social Care Professionals Act, 2005 provides for the protection of the title 'physiotherapist' for use by those professionals who will qualify for registration with the Physiotherapists Registration Board. There is an additional issue for consideration regarding the possible protection of the title 'physical therapist' via regulation for use by those professionals who will be registered with the Physiotherapists' Registration Board. This issue will be considered by the Health and Social Care Professionals Council during the course of establishing the Physiotherapist Registration Board. In line with the provisions of the Health and Social Care Professionals Act, the Minister will consult with the Physiotherapists Registration Board and other appropriate organisations in regard to the protection of variant titles under the Act.