Margaret Murphy O'Mahony (Cork South West, Fianna Fail)
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578. To ask the Minister for Health his plans to introduce regulation of counsellors and psychotherapists under the Health and Social Care Professionals Act 2005; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12479/18]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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Counsellors and psychotherapists are not currently designated under the Health and Social Care Professionals Act 2005. The Minister for Health may designate health or social care professions not currently designated if he or she considers that it is in the public interest to do so and if the specified criteria have been met.   Following a public consultation, I decided to proceed with the designation of two distinct professions under the Act, that of counsellor and that of psychotherapist.  Each will have its own register under one registration board.  This decision was communicated to the Health and Social Care Professionals Council (CORU), the relevant professional bodies, and all the respondents to the public consultation process. 

The draft Regulations to designate the professions of counsellor and psychotherapist under the Health and Social Care Professionals Act 2005 and to establish a registration board for the professions have, in accordance with the provisions of the Act, been laid before each House of the Oireachtas.  Resolutions approving the drafts have been submitted to each House and these will be considered by both Houses next week. The Joint Committee on Health met on 7 March to discuss the resolutions; no objections to the proposed regulations were raised at that time.

Subject to the approval by the Houses of these regulations, the next step will be the appointment of the 13 members of the registration board following the submission of suitable candidates for my consideration by the Public Appointments Service. I hope that the registration board will be in a position later this year to begin the task of drafting the various by-laws to allow it to establish its registers.