Martin Heydon (Kildare South, Fine Gael)
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737. To ask the Minister for Health his views on amendments being circulated in relation to the Health and Social Care Professionals (Amendment) Bill 2017; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34079/17]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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The Health and Social Care Professionals (Amendment) Bill passed Committee Stage in Dail Eireann on Tuesday 11^thJuly, 2017. The Bill amends the Health and Social Care Professionals Act 2005 in three main areas. It will address gaps in the Act in relation to appointments to the State boards established under the Act; it will provide for conditions or criteria to apply to applicants for registration who have not yet practised their professions; and it will introduce temporary provisions relating to registration in the register of physiotherapists in advance of regulations to protect the title of physical therapistalongside the title of physiotherapist, the protection of which is already provided for in the Act.

Following the debate at Committee Stage earlier this week, I have undertaken to engage further with both the Irish Association of Chartered Physiotherapists (ISCP) and the Irish Association of Physical Therapists (IAPT) in order to bring greater clarity to the provisions of the Bill in advance of proceeding to Report Stage in Dail Eireann in the Autumn. Department officials will be in contact with each professional body in the near future to facilitate this engagement.