Ivana Bacik (Dublin Bay South, Labour)
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851. To ask the Minister for Health for an update on progress to designate ‘counsellor’ as a protected title; and when work will be completed by CORU to ensure regulation of rogue crisis pregnancy agency operators self-describing as counsellors. [34233/25]

Jennifer Carroll MacNeill (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)
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As the Deputy will be aware, CORU is Ireland’s multi-profession regulator for health and social care. Its primary role is to protect the public by regulating professions designated under the Health and Social Care Professionals Act 2005 (as amended). This includes setting the standards required for registration and maintaining professional registers for those who meet these standards.

To date, 17 health and social care professions have been designated for regulation by CORU. Registers are currently open for 12 of these professions, with work ongoing to open registers for the remaining five, including Counsellors.

The Counsellors and Psychotherapists Registration Board was established in 2019 to regulate the professions of counsellors and psychotherapists. Since its formation, the Board has made significant progress towards implementing regulation for both fields. The Board has considered and made recommendations of the titles to be protected and the qualifications suitable for existing practitioners who apply during the transitional period.

A public consultation, held from September to December 2023, sought input on the draft Standards of Proficiency and Criteria for Education and Training Programmes for these professions. The consultation saw high levels of engagement, with 689 responses received, including contributions from professionals, education providers, employers, professional bodies, and the general public.

The feedback revealed considerable differences of opinion within and between the professions about their distinctiveness, the competencies required for safe practice, and the necessary qualifications for entry to the registers. These diverse perspectives highlight the complexity of the task at hand.

The Board is reviewing the submissions from the consultation as part of its ongoing effort to establish the appropriate threshold standards for public protection. It is expected that the review of the Standards of Proficiency and the Criteria for Education and Training Programmes will be completed in 2025. Once the review is finished, the finalised versions will be published, and the Board will outline the next steps towards introducing statutory regulation for counsellors and psychotherapists.

Due to the considerable work involved in developing and implementing the necessary standards, the timeline for opening the registers for counselling and psychotherapy remains uncertain at this stage.

CORU’s regulatory model is based on protection of title; once a profession is regulated it becomes a criminal offence to use a professional title if a person is not a CORU registrant. CORU does not regulate health service providers.

In relation to crisis pregnancy counselling, the HSE recommends that people should contact My Options which is the official HSE service if they need information or support in the event of an unplanned pregnancy, or if they need post-abortion supports.

My Options is a free-phone helpline that provides free, non-judgemental information and support to anyone in Ireland experiencing an unplanned pregnancy, including information about how to access abortion services in Ireland. Qualified and trained counsellors are also available to provide free counselling to anyone in Ireland who is considering an abortion, or who has had an abortion regardless of where or when the abortion occurred.

Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, Solidarity)
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852. To ask the Minister for Health further to Parliamentary Question No. 686 of 27 May 2025, whether the National Gender Service's business cases were fully resourced with experienced staff; and by how much wait times would be shortened by one and two years on from that point. [34234/25]

Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, Solidarity)
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853. To ask the Minister for Health further to Parliamentary Question No. 686 of 27 May 2025, whether the National Gender Service's business cases were fully resourced with experienced staff; and by how much wait times would be shortened by one and two years on from that point. [34234/25]

Jennifer Carroll MacNeill (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)
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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.