Joan Collins (Dublin South Central, Independent)
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194. To ask the Minister for Health the reason an organisation (details supplied) is excluded from the regulation process by CORU. [7822/18]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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The Physiotherapists Registration Board established its register on 30 September 2016. When the 2-year transitional period ends in September 2018 entitlement to use the title of physiotherapist will be confined to members of the register.

In many countries around the world the titles of physical therapist and physiotherapist are interchangeable and their users are qualified physiotherapists. In Ireland, however, the title is also used by a number of practitioners who are not physiotherapists but who have been providing musculoskeletal therapies in the private sector for many years. Physiotherapists are trained to provide musculoskeletal, cardio/respiratory and neurological therapies, working in both the public and private sector. In December last year I made regulations to prescribe the title of physical therapist as a variant of the title of physiotherapist. The protection of the title will eliminate the ongoing risk of title confusion and the consequent risks to public safety. The effect of prescribing the title of physical therapist as a variant of the title of physiotherapist will be to protect both titles under the Health and Social Care Professional Council 2005 Act by confining their use solely to registrants of the profession of physiotherapist and to permit the registration in the register of physiotherapists, on a once-off basis and for a limited period, of qualified users of the title of physical therapist.

Athletic Rehabilitation Therapists are one of a growing number of aspirant professions seeking regulation by the Health and Social Care Professional Council (CORU). Section 4 of the Health and Social Care Professional Council 2005 Act provides that the Minister for Health may, following a consultation process and with the approval of the Houses of the Oireachtas, make regulations designating a health or social care profession not already designated if the Minister considers it in the public interest to do so.

It is envisaged that the registration boards of all of the designated professions will be established by the end of 2018. With my recent decision to designate the professions of counsellor and psychotherapist, CORU will be responsible for the regulation of 16 health and social care professions.

CORU will then be asked to undertake 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 for their possible future regulation. The question of designating other professions providing musculoskeletal therapies, including the profession of athletic rehabilitation therapist will be considered as part of that process.