Barry Heneghan (Dublin Bay North, Independent)
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1056. To ask the Minister for Health if she will direct that any future regulatory measures proposed by CORU or its registration boards are subject to full proportionality assessment, public consultation, and Ministerial oversight prior to adoption, in accordance with the proportionality regulations; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [61779/25]

Jennifer Carroll MacNeill (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)
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As the Deputy will be aware, CORU is Ireland’s multi-profession health and social care regulator. With extensive experience in introducing regulation to health and social care professions for the first time, CORU has already established twelve registers for a range of professions. CORU’s work ensures the protection of the public by regulating the work of over 30,000 health and social care professionals.

Under EU Directive 2018/958, and the transposing Irish legislation (S.I. No. 413 of 2022), a proportionality assessment is required prior to the introduction of regulation of a profession.

Throughout its work to introduce regulation of professions, CORU has continued to work with my Department to ensure compliance with EU requirements under the Directive, including assessing the proportionality of the Standards and Criteria.

CORU remains committed to transparent, fair, and proportionate regulation that protects the public and supports practitioners.

I am assured that CORU will continue to engage closely with education providers, professional bodies, and other stakeholders as the regulatory process advances, keeping public protection at the centre of this work.

Barry Heneghan (Dublin Bay North, Independent)
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1057. To ask the Minister for Health if she will ensure that the implementation of new professional standards for counsellors and psychotherapists under CORU is aligned with the national workforce planning objectives for mental health services to avoid unintended reductions in service availability; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [61780/25]

Jennifer Carroll MacNeill (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)
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As the Deputy is aware, CORU is Ireland’s multi-profession health and social care regulator. CORU’s role is to protect the public by regulating the health and social care professions designated under the Health and Social Care Professionals Act 2005 (as amended).

Counsellors and psychotherapists perform a vital role, providing therapeutic care to often vulnerable people. Regulation is being introduced to these professions to protect the public, ensuring that care provided is of a consistently high standard and always by suitably qualified individuals.

The Counsellors and Psychotherapists Registration Board (CPRB) was established in 2019 and since that time has been working to progress regulation of both professions.

The Department of Health is currently working to set out the long-term workforce planning needs of the health and social care sector in Ireland’s Future Health and Social Care Workforce Plan.

The plan will project the workforce required to meet the needs of the population over the next 15 years, including for mental health services. The plan has been guided by Sharing the Vision, Ireland’s ambitious, multifaceted national mental health policy to enhance the provision of mental health services and supports across a broad continuum from mental health promotion, prevention, early intervention and specialist mental health service delivery during the period 2020-2030.

As such, the workforce plan recognises the requirement to plan for the expansion of staffing in mental health services, including counsellors and psychotherapists.

The government is focused on achieving and maintaining optimum mental health in Ireland. HSE WTE numbers working in Mental Health increased by 7% between year-end 2019 and June 2025, with 99% of that increase relating to posts directly involved in patient care.

I am confident that CORU’s work will bring clear benefits for public protection. The framework has been designed to strengthen standards of practice while ensuring that training pathways and workforce supply are not adversely affected.

I am assured that CORU will continue to engage closely with education providers, professional bodies, and other stakeholders as the regulatory process advances, keeping public protection at the centre of this work.

I am eager to see this work progressed so that two very important professions are finally regulated, in the interest of public protection.

Barry Heneghan (Dublin Bay North, Independent)
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1058. To ask the Minister for Health her plans to undertake an assessment of the potential workforce and service-access implications arising from the new standards and criteria for counsellors and psychotherapists, particularly regarding training requirements and practice scope; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [61781/25]

Jennifer Carroll MacNeill (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)
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As the Deputies are aware, CORU is Ireland’s multi-profession health and social care regulator. CORU’s role is to protect the public by regulating the health and social care professions designated under the Health and Social Care Professionals Act 2005 (as amended).

Counsellors and psychotherapists perform a vital role, providing therapeutic care to often vulnerable people. Regulation is being introduced to these professions to protect the public, ensuring that care provided is of a consistently high standard and always by suitably qualified individuals.

The Counsellors and Psychotherapists Registration Board (CPRB) was established in 2019 and since that time has been working to progress regulation of both professions.

The Department of Health is currently working to set out the long -term workforce planning needs of the health and social care sector in Ireland’s Future Health and Social Care Workforce Plan.

The plan will project the workforce required to meet the needs of the population over the next 15 years, including for mental health services. The plan has been guided by Sharing the Vision, Ireland’s ambitious, multifaceted national mental health policy to enhance the provision of mental health services and supports across a broad continuum from mental health promotion, prevention, early intervention and specialist mental health service delivery during the period 2020-2030.

As such, the workforce plan recognises the requirement to plan for the expansion of staffing in mental health services, including counsellors and psychotherapists.

The government is focused on achieving and maintaining optimum mental health in Ireland. HSE WTE numbers working in Mental Health increased by 7% between year-end 2019 and June 2025, with 99% of that increase relating to posts directly involved in patient care.

I am confident that CORU’s work will bring clear benefits for public protection. The framework has been designed to strengthen standards of practice while ensuring that training pathways and workforce supply are not adversely affected.

I am assured that CORU will continue to engage closely with education providers, professional bodies, and other stakeholders as the regulatory process advances, keeping public protection at the centre of this work.

I am eager to see this work progressed so that two very important professions are finally regulated, in the interest of public protection.

Barry Heneghan (Dublin Bay North, Independent)
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1059. To ask the Minister for Health if she will confirm whether a proportionality assessment was undertaken by her Department or by CORU prior to the adoption of the new standards of proficiency and criteria for education and training programmes for counsellors and psychotherapists published on 11 July 2025; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [61782/25]

Jennifer Carroll MacNeill (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)
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As the Deputy will be aware, CORU is Ireland’s multi-profession health and social care regulator. With extensive experience in introducing regulation to health and social care professions for the first time, CORU has already established twelve registers for a range of professions. CORU’s work ensures the protection of the public by regulating the work of over 30,000 health and social care professionals.

Counsellors and psychotherapists perform a vital role, providing therapeutic care to often vulnerable people. Regulation is being introduced to these professions to protect the public, ensuring that care provided is of a consistently high standard and always by suitably qualified individuals.

The Counsellors and Psychotherapists Registration Board was established in 2019 and since that time has been working to progress regulation of both professions.

In July 2025 CORU published two key documents for each of these professions:

For each profession there is:

• Standards of Proficiency, which set out the minimum knowledge and skills required for entry to the Register.
• Criteria for Education and Training Programmes, which set the requirements for how professional training programmes are designed and managed to ensure graduates consistently meet the Standards of Proficiency.

Under EU Directive 2018/958, and the transposing Irish legislation (S.I. No. 413 of 2022), a proportionality assessment is required prior to the introduction of regulation of a profession. Throughout its work to introduce regulation of both professions, CORU has ensured compliance with the Directive, including assessing the proportionality of the Standards and Criteria.

As part of this work to ensure compliance with the Directive, the 2023 public consultation explicitly sought stakeholder feedback on the proportionality of the proposed Standards and Criteria before these were finalised by the Board.

CORU continues to engage regularly with my Department to ensure compliance with EU requirement and remains committed to transparent, fair, and proportionate regulation that protects the public and supports practitioners.

I am confident that CORU’s work will bring clear benefits for public protection. The framework has been designed to strengthen standards of practice while ensuring that training pathways and workforce supply are not adversely affected.

I am assured that CORU will continue to engage closely with education providers, professional bodies, and other stakeholders as the regulatory process advances, keeping public protection at the centre of this work.

I am eager to see this work progressed so that two very important professions are finally regulated, in the interest of public protection.