Pearse Doherty (Donegal South West, Sinn Fein)
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Question 201: To ask the Minister for Health if he will consider creating a programme in which referrals from the Health Service Executive to acupuncture professionals could be facilitated; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26865/11]

James Reilly (Dublin North, Fine Gael)
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Programmes such as that proposed by the Deputy are a matter in the first instance for the Health Service Executive itself. At present there is no statutory register of approved acupuncturists in Ireland; nor are acupuncturists employed in the publicly funded health sector. While complementary therapists, including acupuncturists, are not subject to professional statutory regulation, they are subject to a range of legislation and regulation, similar to other practitioners including consumer legislation, competition, contract and criminal law. The Department makes available an information leaflet on complementary therapy to assist consumers in making an informed health choice - a copy is available at http://www.dohc.ie/publications/pdf/complementary_therapists_leaflet.pdf?direct=1

In line with a recommendation of the National Working Group on the Regulation of Complementary Therapists which reported in 2005, the Department of Health supports greater voluntary self regulation of complementary therapy, including acupuncture, which would enable a sector to speak with one voice. The Department has already undertaken initiatives to support voluntary regulation e.g. the production of guidance for professional associations such as examples of codes of ethics and good practice, including grievance and disciplinary procedures.

HETAC (the Higher Education and Training Awards Council) and my Department recently commissioned a joint research project on the nature of academic validation of five specific complementary therapies including acupuncture in various jurisdictions and the criteria for identifying complementary therapies which warrant the academic validation of programmes by HETAC. I look forward to considering the findings of this research in due course.