Dan Neville (Limerick, Fine Gael)
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1036. To ask the Minister for Health the position regarding the regulation of counselling and psychotherapy under the Health and Social Care Professions Act 2005. [34028/14]

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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I intend to bring counsellors and psychotherapists within the ambit of the Health and Social Care Professionals Act 2005 as soon as possible.

The Health and Social Care Professionals Council and the registration boards established under that Act are responsible for protecting the public by promoting high standards of professional conduct and professional education, training and competence amongst the professions designated under the Act. The 12 professions currently designated under the Act are clinical biochemists, dietitians, medical scientists, occupational therapists, orthoptists, physiotherapists, podiatrists, psychologists, radiographers, social care workers, social workers and speech and language therapists.

Psychotherapists and counsellors are not currently regulated under the Health and Social Care Professionals Act 2005. However, the Act provides that the Minister for Health may, under section 4(2), designate a health and social care profession not already designated if he or she considers that it is in the public interest to do so and if specified criteria have been met.

My predecessor, James Reilly, wrote to the The Health and Social Care Professionals Council in May of this year advising it of his intention, in the public interest, to designate by regulation the profession or professions of counsellor and psychotherapist under the Act. The Act provides that the Minister for Health is obliged to consult with the Council in the first instance concerning a proposed designation and to give interested persons, organisations and bodies an opportunity to make representations to the Minister. The Council has been asked to advise on a number of issues concerning the proposed designation and requested that it take into consideration the recently published report of Quality and Qualifications Ireland (QQI) on the academic standards necessary for the accreditation of courses in Counselling and Psychotherapy. This is an essential element as it will inform, for the purpose of registration, the assessment by the registration board, when established, of the qualifications of those currently in practice.

This is the first stage in the consultation process under the Act and I expect to receive the Council's report in the coming weeks. I will proceed to the next stage which will involve a much wider consultation when I have fully considered the Council's report. While a number of issues remain to be clarified including decisions on whether one or two professions are to be regulated, on the title or titles of the profession or professions, and on the minimum qualifications to be required of applicants for registration, I intend to progress the regulation of counsellors and psychotherapists as a priority. I hope to be in a position to make the necessary designation regulations early next year. I will then seek expressions of interest from qualified persons available for appointment to the new registration board that will be established to regulate counsellors and psychotherapists.