Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 18 October 2023
277. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Health to respond to matters raised in correspondence (details supplied) regarding the registration of psychotherapists; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45666/23]
View answerAs the Deputy may be aware, the Health and Social Care Professionals Council and Registration Boards, collectively known as CORU, are responsible for protecting the public by promoting high standards of professional conduct, education, training, and competence amongst the professions designated under the Health and Social Care Professionals Act (2005). The Act is being implemented on a phased basis as registration boards and their registers are being established.
Regulations under SI No. 170 of 2018 were made by my predecessor in 2018 to designate the professions of counsellor and psychotherapist under the 2005 Act and to establish one registration board for both professions. Members were appointed to the Counsellors and Psychotherapists Registration Board in February 2019 and they held their inaugural meeting in May 2019.
The work of the Counsellors and Psychotherapists Registration Board (CPRB) includes consideration of the titles to be protected and the minimum qualifications to be required of existing practitioners and the qualifications that will be required for future graduates. The work of the CPRB is significantly more challenging than it is for registration boards for some of the more established professions owing to the different and complex pathways into these professions, the variety of titles used, and the variety and number of courses and course providers.
To date, the following progress has been made by the CPRB:
• Identification, verification and comprehensive assessment of legacy/historical qualifications to determine if they are appropriate for transitioning existing practitioners onto the respective registers (when open);
• Scoping and research on the regulation of counsellors and psychotherapists internationally has been conducted;
• Drafting of separate and distinct Standards of Proficiency for counsellors and psychotherapists and Criteria for Education and Training Programmes has been finalised.
A public consultation on the draft Standards of Proficiency and Criteria for Education and Training Programmes has been launched and will run until 5pm on Friday 1st December 2023. As part of this consultation, the CPRB welcomes feedback from stakeholders, including members of the professions, education providers, employers, professional and representative bodies, as well as members of the public.
Further information on the consultation process is available on the CORU website here: www.coru.ie/public-protection/public-consultations/current-consultations/public-consultation-psychotherapists-standards-of-proficiency-and-criteria-for-education-and-training-programmes-for-psychotherapists.html
I am advised by the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research Innovation and Science that the main support available to assist students with the cost of attending higher education is the Student Grant Scheme. Under the Scheme, grant assistance is awarded to eligible students attending an approved full-time course in an approved institution who meet the prescribed conditions of funding, including those relating to nationality, residency, previous academic attainment and means.
The decision on eligibility for a student grant is a matter, in the first instance, for the centralised student grant awarding authority SUSI (Student Universal Support Ireland) to determine. All applications are assessed nationally with reference to the terms and conditions of the Student Grant Scheme, which are applied impartially to all eligible applicants.
Maintenance grant and fee grant funding is available under the Scheme to students pursuing approved courses within the State. A maximum of 4 years funding is available at undergraduate level 8 (except where the normal duration of the course exceeds 4 years). Further information on eligibility is available at www.susi.ie.
Students who are returning to full time education and have been in receipt of a social welfare payment may qualify for the Back to Education Allowance. Further information on this scheme is available here: www.gov.ie/en/service/418e3f-back-to-education-allowance/
In addition, I understand that tax relief may be available on tuition fees paid for undergraduate and postgraduate courses. The list of approved courses and further information is available on the Revenue website here: www.revenue.ie/en/personal-tax-credits-reliefs-and-exemptions/education/tuition-fees-paid-for-third-level-education/approved-colleges-and-courses.aspx
