Mark Ward (Dublin Mid West, Sinn Fein)
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158. To ask the Minister for Health if genetic counsellors will be recognised as a profession in Ireland; when accredited training for genetic counselling will begin in Ireland; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [61279/22]

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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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 & competence through the statutory registration of health and social care professions designated under the Act.

Counsellors and psychotherapists were designated for regulation under the Health and Social Care Professionals Act 2005 by the previous Minister for Health, Simon Harris TD, in 2018. The members of the Counsellors and Psychotherapists Registration Board were appointed in February 2019 and they held their inaugural meeting in May 2019.

The work of a registration board includes consideration of the titles to be protected and the minimum qualifications to be required of existing practitioners and the qualifications that will be required for future graduates. The work of the Counsellors and Psychotherapists Registration Board is significantly more challenging than it is for registration boards for some of the more established professions owing to the different and complex pathways into these professions, the variety of titles used, and the variety and number of courses and course providers. This work is ongoing.

I hope that this information is of assistance to you.

Michael Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent)
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159. To ask the Minister for Health the status of a HSE pension for a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [61280/22]

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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As the payment of pensions is an operational matter for the Health Service Executive, I have asked the HSE to reply directly to the Deputy.