Willie O'Dea (Limerick City, Fianna Fail)
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946. To ask the Minister for Health that the recently published standards and criteria for counsellors and psychotherapists by the Counsellors and Psychotherapists Registration Board of CORU (the Board) are subject to a lawful, proportionate, and transparent regulatory process; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [66220/25]

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.

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.