Gerald Nash (Louth, Labour)
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224. To ask the Minister for Health his views on the need to establish a protected title of creative arts therapists in the Health Service Executive; if he intends to bring the profession under the aegis of the Health and Social Care Professionals Act 2005 in the interests of the profession and the public; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30960/13]

James Reilly (Dublin North, Fine Gael)
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The Health and Social Care Professionals Council (the Council) and the 12 registration boards to be established under the Health and Social Care Professionals Act 2005 are responsible for protecting the public by promoting high standards of professional conduct and professional education, training and competence among the registrants of the following 12 health and social care professions designated under the Act: clinical biochemists, dietitians, medical scientists, occupational therapists, orthoptists, physiotherapists, podiatrists, psychologists, radiographers, social care workers, social workers and speech and language therapists. In time, and in accordance with the provisions of the 2005 Act, only registrants will be entitled to use these titles.

The first registration board to be established, the Social Workers Registration Board, was established in August 2010, and the associated Social Workers Register opened for receipt and processing of applications on 31st May, 2011. A second registration board, the Radiographers Registration Board, was established on 16th December, 2011 and its register is expected to be established shortly. Three further registration boards, the Dietitians Registration Board, the Occupational Therapists Registration Board, and the Speech and Language Therapists Registration Board have been established with effect from 1st November 2012. It is proposed to establish the Physiotherapists Registration Board shortly and expressions of interest from interested parties are currently being examined with a view to filling vacancies on the soon to be established Board.

All the registration boards and their registers for the remaining designated professions should be established by 2015.

While the legislation empowers the Minister for Health to include, if he considers it appropriate and in the public interest to do so, additional health and social care professions in the regulatory system over time, and under specific criteria, I have no plans at present to regulate creative arts therapists. The question of regulating further health and social care professionals may be reviewed post 2015 in the context of progress made at that juncture.