Vol. 508 No. 2
3 Mr. Shatter asked the Minister for Health and Children the steps, if any, he will take to provide for the registration of pregnancy counselling services and the application of guidelines prescribing the minimum code of practice and standards to be complied with. [17397/99]
The Deputy will be aware that a wide range of counselling services is available and I am of the view that this should not be confined to pregnancy counselling alone. I am, therefore, currently examining whether counselling services should be regulated and, if so, what form such regulation might take. This may involve consultation with other interests involved in this area. Some of the forms of counselling available come within the remit of other Departments and their views also will be relevant.
Does the Minister agree that the revelations from the Baby A case show that persons involved in the Adams counselling agency behaved with gross and appalling violation of trust of young vulnerable women who were seeking advice and counselling in the context of their pregnancies? Does the Minister agree that there is a need to ensure there can never again be a repetition of the events depicted in the Baby A case which not simply related to the baby who was the subject of the proceedings in the High Court but gave an insight into other difficulties which had arisen with this agency? Will the Minister acknowledge it is bizarre and illogical that there is currently no legal framework in place to prevent a person convicted – I am not saying this applies to the Adams agency – of a sexual offence, on leaving Arbour Hill or Mountjoy Prison, from placing an advertisement in the Golden Pages announcing that he is providing counselling to pregnant women or victims of sexual abuse? Will the Minister acknowledge that he has an obligation to the public to put in place now an appropriate regulatory framework?
I agree with the Deputy's sentiments in regard to the case to which he referred. While there is no legislation governing counselling services provided by professionals under health boards, those people are subject to regulatory regimes and guidelines operated by their respective professional bodies. Health boards are currently devising a model for the uniform provision of counselling services across all health boards. Preliminary inquiries focused on countries within the EU, in terms of the review I have undertaken, indicate that there is no regulatory regime in place in those countries. Information is awaited from Sweden, but it has already been established that it does not have a statutory framework of regulation.
I intend to see how we can address this issue without driving out those who provide a good quality service and causing a deterioration in the overall position. I take the view that the cases which have come to light in recent times require that this matter be put under immediate review.
In the case concerned, has the Minister or his Department seen fit to make a complaint to the regulatory bodies of the GP and barrister concerned asking that their disciplinary procedures be invoked in the context of the conduct in which they were engaged, as depicted in Ms Justice Laffoy's judgment in the High Court?
I am not aware that the Department has made any such move. I will make inquiries and inform the Deputy.
Does the Minister consider it appropriate that these issues should be examined and investigated by the disciplinary bodies of both professions in the light of what was revealed in the judgment?
I will give consideration to that matter and will come back to the Deputy.
In light of the fact that it appears that what purported to be a counselling agency had in some way set itself up as an adoption agency to the benefit of at least one individual running the counselling agency, what steps, if any, have been taken to investigate the possibility of a criminal prosecution for violation of the Adoption Acts? If steps have been taken, what progress has been made to date? Has the Minister or his Department been in contact with the Garda in this context or have any papers been handed over to the Director of Public Prosecutions?
Again I defer to the Deputy on that matter. There is no information to hand which would suggest that is the case.
Does the Minister agree there should be such an investigation?
As I said, I have instigated a review of this whole matter – the case and the general situation. There is a number of Departments involved in counselling, but a review of the individual case and its implications is under consideration at the moment and the Deputy will be informed of whatever steps I deem necessary.
In light of the publicity this case attracted, the distress caused and the appalling breach of trust of the people involved in the context of the young mother, I would have expected that by now the Government would have ensured an investigation was being conducted, with a prosecution being considered. Has anything been done about this yet?
I have indicated the information that is available as of now. Any matters being raised in supplementaries, I will revert to them.
