John Connolly (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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572. To ask the Minister for Health the plans to bring forth legislation to broaden the regulatory role of CORU to the full spectrum of health and social care disciplines included for, in the Health and Social Care Professionals Act 2005; and other appropriate health and social care professionals; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [67186/25]

Jennifer Carroll MacNeill (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)
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As the Deputy may be 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).

There are currently registers open for twelve professions, representing the regulation of over 35,000 health and social care professionals.

CORU is continuing the substantial work required to open the registers for the remaining designated professions with particular focus on psychologists, counsellors and psychotherapists at the moment.

Regulating a new profession is a complex and lengthy process, requiring careful consideration and preparatory work to ensure that it is effective in protecting the public. Each Registration Board must develop codes of ethics and conduct, standards of proficiency, and education and training standards for a profession in advance of statutory regulation.

With regard to designating additional health and social care professions for regulation, it is important in this context to point out the issues to be considered regarding the proportionate degree of regulatory force required to protect the public are complex.

In light of this, and in line with ongoing work in the Department of Health, the Health Research Board was requested to carry out research on behalf of the Department to assist in policy development in this area.

The report, “National Approaches to Regulating Health and Social Care Professions”, examines the approaches to the regulation of health and social care professionals internationally and is publicly available on the Department’s website (www.gov.ie/en/publication/ea62b-national-approaches-to-regulating-health-and-social-care-professions).

My officials are in the process of drawing from this report and other relevant sources to develop a framework to guide policy on the regulation of health and social care professionals into the future. This framework will also be informed by an evidence and risk-based approach to regulation in line with requirements set out in the EU Proportionality Test Directive, which was transposed into Irish law on 19 August 2022 (S.I. No. 413/2022). Further information on the Proportionality Test Directive can be found here: single-market-economy.ec.europa.eu/news/services-directive-handbookproportionality-test-directive-guidance-2022-12-22_en.

There are no plans in place to progress regulation of individual professions until appropriate risk-assessment and evaluation tools are in place in compliance with best practice, international evidence, and the Proportionality Test Directive.

John Connolly (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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573. To ask the Minister for Health the consideration given by the HSE as part of their Strategic Workforce Planning to employing athletic therapists to deliver the best possible care and services to the people; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [67194/25]

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.