Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
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680. To ask the Minister for Health when the statutory registration of psychotherapists and counsellors pursuant to S.I. No. 21 of 2019 of the Health and Social Care Professionals Act 2005 (Section 28A) (Counsellors and Psychotherapists Registration Board) Regulations 2019 will commence; the body charged with such registration; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11416/20]

Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
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681. To ask the Minister for Health the number of psychotherapists and or counsellors registered pursuant to S.I. No. 21 of 2019 of the Health and Social Care Professionals Act 2005 (Section 28A) (Counsellors and Psychotherapists Registration Board) Regulations 2019; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11417/20]

Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
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682. To ask the Minister for Health if he is satisfied that CORU is adequately funded to undertake its function as the body required to undertake the statutory registration of psychotherapists and counsellors under the Health and Social Care Professionals Act 2005 (as amended); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11418/20]

Louise O'Reilly (Dublin Fingal, Sinn Fein)
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700. To ask the Minister for Health his plans to fast track the statutory registration of counsellors and psychotherapists in line with the long-standing recommendations of A Vision for Change; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11483/20]

Louise O'Reilly (Dublin Fingal, Sinn Fein)
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701. To ask the Minister for Health if he will make the necessary resources available to CORU to carry out the registration of counsellors and psychotherapists within a shorter time period than expected; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11484/20]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 680 to 682, inclusive, 700 and 701 together.

The Health and Social Care Professionals Act 2005 (the Act) provides for the protection of the public by promoting high standards of professional conduct and professional education, training and competence through statutory registration of health and social care professions designated under the Act.

A profession for regulation is either designated in the Act, or can be designated by means of an Order made by the Minister for Health under the Act where, after a consultation process, the Minister considers that it is appropriate and in the public interest that the profession be so designated.  Arising from such a consultation process, I decided for the purpose of regulation to designate two distinct professions, counsellors and psychotherapists, each with its register, under one registration board.  Regulations to designate the two professions under the Act and to establish the Counsellors and Psychotherapists Registration Board were made in 2018.  SI No 21 of 2019 of the Health and Social Care Professionals Act 2005 (Section 28A) (Counsellors and Psychotherapists Registration Board) Regulations 2019 prescribes the number of persons from the designated professions of counsellor and the designated profession of psychotherapist to be appointed to the Registration Board. The Registration Board was duly appointed in February 2019 and held its inaugural meeting in May 2019.

While the Board has begun working towards regulation of these professions, a substantial body of work requires to be undertaken before a register may be opened.  The work of this Board is significantly more challenging than for registration boards for some of the more established professions, owing to the different and complexity of entry paths into the counsellor and psychotherapist professions, variety of titles used, and the variety and number of courses and course providers.  In order to support this and other important work being undertaken by CORU, my Department has allocated additional funding of over €900,000 to the regulator in 2020.