Written answers
Tuesday, 18 April 2023
Department of Health
Health Services Staff
Mark Ward (Dublin Mid West, Sinn Fein)
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1374. To ask the Minister for Health when a public health nurse will be available for residents in Newcastle, County Dublin; the current and levels of public health nurses by area in Dublin mid-west; the plans for recruitment of public heath nurses in Dublin mid-west; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16443/23]
Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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As this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly as soon as possible.
David Cullinane (Waterford, Sinn Fein)
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1375. To ask the Minister for Health the health and social care professions whose regulation is under the remit of CORU, in tabular form; the status of regulation or the development stage of regulation; and the timeframe for completion or year of completion for each profession. [16448/23]
Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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Please find the requested information in tabular form below. The information is provided in chronological order of regulation status from the profession which was first statutorily regulated under CORU to those designated professions yet to be regulated.
| Profession | Status of regulation/Development stage of regulation | Timeframe for completion/year of completion* |
|---|---|---|
| Social Workers | Fully regulated – title protected | 2010 (August – took over from NSWQB) |
| Dispensing Opticians and Optometrists | Fully regulated – title protected | 2015 (31st October, persons previously registered with The Opticians Board saw their registration transfer to the Optical Registration Board at CORU). |
| Radiographers and Radiation Therapists | Fully regulated – title protected | 2015 (31st October) |
| Dietitians/Dieticians | Fully regulated – title protected | 2016 (31st October) |
| Speech and Language Therapists | Fully regulated – title protected | 2016 (31st October) |
| Occupational Therapists | Fully regulated – title protected | 2017 (31st March) |
| Physiotherapists and Physical Therapists | Fully regulated – title protected | 2018 (30th September) |
| Medical Scientists | Fully regulated – title protected | 2021 (31st March) |
| Podiatrists/Chiropodists | Fully regulated – title protected | 2023 (31st March) |
| Social Care Workers | - Social Care Workers Registration Board (SCWRB) established 2015. - SCWRB is currently preparing for the registration of the profession. - The Social Care Workers Register will open in November this year. 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. | Register to open 30.11.2023 and title protected 2 years later. |
| Psychologists | - Psychologists Registration Board (PSRB) established in 2017. - Public consultation in 2020 revealed significant issues and a lack of consensus among the profession and other stakeholders on how to proceed with regulation. - CORU wrote to Minister for Health in 2021 on behalf of PSRB seeking guidance on how to proceed. - Minister wrote to CORU in 2022 requesting the PSRB consider a dual-stream and phased approach to regulating the profession, which would allow the PSRB to prioritise regulating the 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’. - PSRB wrote to Minister in March 2023 with its recommendation to proceed with dual approach. - Minister currently reviewing these recommendations with a view to progressing this work as quickly as possible. | Due to the complex work the PSRB must undertake it is not possible to say with any degree of accuracy when registers for specific psychology specialisms will open. It is anticipated the PSRB will take a number of years to complete its work. |
| Counsellors and Psychotherapists | Counsellors and Psychotherapists Registration Board (CPRB) established in 2019. Ongoing work of the CPRB for the professions 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 - drafting Standards of Proficiency and Criteria for Education and Training Programmes. | The work of the CPRB is significantly more challenging than it is for registration boards of 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. Due to the complexity of the issues to be addressed, it is not possible to say with any accuracy when this profession will be fully regulated. |
| Clinical Biochemists | Regulation has not progressed yet. | Not possible to provide a timeline at present. |
| Orthoptists | Regulation has not progressed yet. | Not possible to provide a timeline at present. |
*title protected following the end of the two year transitional period allowed for grandfathering of currently practising professionals
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