Sorca Clarke (Longford-Westmeath, Sinn Fein)
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2738. To ask the Minister for Health the projected capital and staffing cost for the development of a dedicated mother and baby unit. [41758/25]

Mary Butler (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
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As this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond directly to the Deputy as soon as possible.

Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, Solidarity)
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2739. To ask the Minister for Health the progress of the statutory regulation of counsellors and psychotherapists under CORU; the reasons for the delays in finalising the education and training standards and registration bye-laws; the way in which her Department and CORU are addressing the profession’s concerns (details supplied); and if her Department will consider increasing resources, facilitating structured mediation between stakeholders, or introducing interim regulatory measures to protect the public and provide greater clarity for service users and practitioners during this prolonged transitional period. [41769/25]

Jennifer Carroll MacNeill (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)
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The Counsellors and Psychotherapists Registration Board (CPRB) was established in 2019 and tasked with establishing regulation for the two professions of ‘counsellor’ and ‘psychotherapist’.

Since its establishment the CPRB has carried out extensive work to advance the introduction of regulation for both professions. Most recently, on 11 July, the CPRB published its pre-registration education and training requirements for entry to the registers for counsellors and psychotherapists.

The publication of the standards of proficiency and criteria for education and training programmes represents a significant milestone for the counselling and psychotherapy professions in Ireland. It is an important step towards the introduction of statutory regulation for both professions. Ireland is the first country in the world to establish distinct regulatory standards of proficiency for entry to both these professions.

The Board has now laid the foundations so education programmes can be designed to ensure consistency of education and training and the standards of proficiency for entry into practice for both professions. These requirements support safe practice and represent a crucial step in ensuring public protection.

The Board acknowledges the valuable engagement from members of both professions throughout this process. Nearly 700 individuals and organisations responded to the public consultation, including educators, professional bodies and existing practitioners. Following the consultation, the Board reviewed every submission carefully and used the feedback to shape the final documents. The published standards of proficiency and criteria for education and training programmes reflect that input and the ongoing engagement between the CPRB and stakeholders, including representatives from both professions.

Since publication of the CPRB’s pre-registration education quality assurance standards, CORU has engaged directly in meetings with key stakeholders, including 25 professional representative bodies and education and training providers. CORU remains committed to ongoing engagement with all stakeholders as it works to establish regulation of the professions.

With the publication of its standards of proficiency and criteria for education and training programmes, the Board now moves into the next phase of its work: preparing for the approval and monitoring of education and training programmes. The Board recognises the need to give education providers sufficient time to make the necessary adjustments to their curriculum and assessment strategies, along with ensuring provision of quality assured practice placement experiences for students. This careful approach will help ensure a smooth transition and successful implementation of the regulatory framework, ultimately assuring public protection.

The CPRB has agreed to give education and training providers four years to align their programmes with the Board’s standards of proficiency and criteria for education and training programmes before seeking regulatory approval. This means that – at the latest – the process of programme approval will commence four years following the publication of the Board’s standards of proficiency and criteria for education and training programmes on 11 July 2025.

In making its decision, the Board carefully considered feedback from education providers regarding the time needed to conduct a thorough programme review, implement changes, including the time needed for institutional approval processes, and introduce these changes to education and training programmes. The Board also considered feedback from stakeholders during its consultation, which highlighted the changes that would be required to the current structure of education and training. CORU will continue to engage with stakeholders and has published extensive information its website - www.coru.ie/about-us/registration-boards/counsellors-and-psychotherapists-registration-board/update-on-statutory-regulation-of-counsellors-and-psychotherapists/ - newsletter, and social media channels.