Pearse Doherty (Donegal South West, Sinn Fein)
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124. To ask the Minister for Health his plans to enhance the regulation of counselling and psychotherapy services; his further plans which would make it a requirement for practitioners to hold a minimum educational qualification in order to maintain industry standards; if consideration has been given to the benefit to the sector of introducing such regulation, particularly with regard to safeguarding the public; the consultation with industry professionals that is planned as part of introducing new regulations; the expected time frame as to when such regulation will be introduced; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21162/15]

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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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, Minister James Reilly T.D, wrote to the The Health and Social Care Professionals Council last year seeking advice on the question of specifically designating counsellors and psychotherapists under the 2005 Act.

A number of issues require clarification and there are varying views among the professional bodies representing counsellors and psychotherapists in Ireland. The main questions to be resolved include whether counselling and psychotherapy should be treated as one or two professions for the purposes of regulation, the title or titles of the profession(s) to be protected, and the minimum qualifications that would be required of applicants for registration. The readiness and compatibility of the professions for designation under the 2005 Act also need to be determined.

The Council's detailed report on the matter has now been received and is being carefully examined in the Department. The matter remains at an early stage of consideration and consultation with industry professionals and other stakeholders will be considered in due course.