Róisín Shortall (Dublin North West, Social Democrats)
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415. To ask the Minister for Health further to Parliamentary Question No. 920 of 13 July 2017, the position regarding the registration and regulation of complementary therapists, including hypnotherapists; if the draft regulations have been submitted to the Houses of the Oireachtas by his Department; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5866/18]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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Further to my response to Parliamentary Question No. 920 of 2017, there remains no statutory regulation of complementary therapists, including hypnotherapists, in Ireland. Although not subject to professional statutory regulation, complementary therapists are subject to a range of legislation and regulation similar to other practitioners, including consumer legislation, competition, contract and criminal law.

The report of the National Working Group on the Regulation of Complementary Therapists was published in 2005. As previously advised, Department policy has been informed by this Report and, while considering it, the Department of Health has supported greater voluntary self-regulation of complementary therapy.

The immediate priority for the Department is the establishment of the boards of the remaining professions designated under the Health and Social Care Professionals Act 2005, including the newly designated professions of counsellor and psychotherapist. It is proposed that, when all the registration boards have been established towards the end of 2018, the Department will ask the Health and Social Care Professionals Council (CORU) to prepare a risk assessment, in terms of public protection, of the principal health and social care professions seeking designation under the Act and to make recommendations concerning options or their possible future regulation.