Róisín Shortall (Dublin North West, Social Democrats)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

1683. To ask the Minister for Health the proposed professions which have yet to be regulated by CORU; the timeline for the regulation of each profession; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2182/23]

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

As the Deputy may be aware, CORU is Ireland’s multi-profession health and social care regulator. Seventeen health and social care professions are designated for regulation by CORU under the Health and Social Care Professionals Act 2005. There are currently registers open for ten professions.

CORU is continuing the substantial work required to open the registers for the remaining designated professions of Podiatrists; Social Care Workers; Counsellors and Psychotherapists; Clinical Biochemists; and Orthoptists.

The Register for Podiatrists opened on 31 March 2021. This began a 2-year transition period for existing practitioners to apply to register with CORU. On 31 March 2023, the title 'Podiatrist’ will become a legally protected title in Ireland.

The Social Care Workers Register will open on 30 November 2023. This will begin a 2-year transition period for existing practitioners to apply to register with CORU. On 30 November 2025, the title 'Social Care Worker' will become a legally protected title in Ireland.

The Psychologists Registration Board (PSRB) was established in 2017. In 2020 a public consultation on the draft Standards of Proficiency and Criteria for Education and Training Programmes developed for the profession revealed a lack of consensus on how to proceed with regulation. Having reached an impasse, CORU wrote to me on behalf of the PSRB seeking guidance on how to proceed. I wrote to CORU in August 2022 requesting the PSRB consider a dual stream and phased approach to regulating the profession, which would allow the PSRB to prioritise regulating psychology specialisms which present the greatest risk to public safety, while simultaneously continuing to work towards the long-term objective of protecting the title of ‘Psychologist’. The PSRB are now examining which specialisms should be prioritised for regulation and they will subsequently make a recommendation to me.

Counsellors and Psychotherapists were designated for regulation by my predecessor through S.I. No. 170 in 2018. The Counsellors and Psychotherapists Registration Board (CPRB) was established in 2019. The ongoing work of the CPRB includes consideration of the titles to be protected, the minimum qualifications to be required of existing practitioners, the qualifications that will be required for future graduates, and drafting the Standards of Proficiency and Criteria for Education and Training Programmes. 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.

Owing to the significant body of preparatory work that the PSRB and CPRB are required to undertake, it is not possible to say with any degree of accuracy when these professions will be fully regulated. I would anticipate that these registration boards will require a number of years to complete their work.

Registration boards have not yet been established for Clinical Biochemists and Orthoptists.

Róisín Shortall (Dublin North West, Social Democrats)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

1684. To ask the Minister for Health the process by which professions who are currently unregulated by CORU can apply for recognition of their field; if there is a means by which representative bodies can formally request consideration of their profession for regulation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2183/23]

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

As the Deputy is aware, CORU is the multi profession health and social care regulator in the State.

There are 17 health and social care professions designated for regulation by CORU under the Health and Social Care Professionals Act 2005 and currently there are registers open for 10 professions.  Section 4 of the Act provides that, following a consultation process and with the approval of the Houses of the Oireachtas, the Minister can make regulations designating a health or social care profession not already designated.

More than twenty unregulated professions have approached the Department seeking to be regulated. The issues to be considered regarding the proportionate degree of regulatory force required to protect the public are complex.  In light of the various issues to be considered, and in line with ongoing work in my Department, the Health Research Board were requested to carry out research on behalf of the Department to assist in policy development in this area.  The report, “National Approaches to Regulating Health and Social Care Professions”, examines the approaches to the regulation of health and social care professionals internationally and is publicly available on the Department’s website (www.gov.ie/en/publication/ea62b-national-approaches-to-regulating-health-and-social-care-professions/).

My officials are in the process of drawing from this report and other relevant sources in the development of policy for the regulation of health and social care professionals into the future.  In the meantime, CORU continues the complex work of preparing for regulation under the Health and Social Care Professionals Act 2005 those professions already designated.

It should be noted that as part of the development of policy proposals in this regard, my Department will need to consider the requirements arising from the transposition into Irish law of the EU Proportionality Test Directive (EU) 2018/958, (S.I. No. 413/2022 - European Union (Regulated Professions Proportionality Assessment) Regulations 2022), a proportionality assessment will need to be carried out before the adoption of any new regulated profession.  Its intention is to prevent disproportionate regulatory measures by introducing objective proportionality assessments and increasing stakeholder involvement.

Róisín Shortall (Dublin North West, Social Democrats)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

1685. To ask the Minister for Health if consideration is being given to regulation by CORU of athletic therapists; if so, the steps that are being taken to advance this process; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2184/23]

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

As the Deputy may be aware, CORU is Ireland’s multi-profession health and social care regulator. Seventeen health and social care professions are designated for regulation by CORU under the Health and Social Care Professionals Act 2005. There are currently registers open for ten professions and CORU is continuing the substantial work required to open the registers for the remaining professions.

A number of representative bodies for unregulated professions have approached the Department seeking to be regulated. The issues to be considered regarding the proportionate degree of regulatory force required to protect the public are complex. In light of the various issues to be considered, and in line with ongoing work in the Department of Health, the Health Research Board was requested to carry out research on behalf of the Department to assist in policy development in this area. The report, “National Approaches to Regulating Health and Social Care Professions”, examines the approaches to the regulation of health and social care professionals internationally and is publicly available on the Department’s website (www.gov.ie/en/publication/ea62b-national-approaches-to-regulating-health-and-social-care-professions/).

My officials are in the process of drawing from this report and other relevant sources in the development of policy for the regulation of health and social care professionals into the future.