Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 17 April 2018
413. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Education and Skills the progress made to establish a recognised standard of training for practitioners of acupuncture as outlined in a report (details supplied); if he has held discussions with QQI on the report's findings with the view to establishing academic validation of education and training programmes in this field; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15987/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraStandards of training for a practitioner of a profession are generally determined by the profession itself with such a standard traditionally recognised by a professional body or bodies established within the sector.
The regulation of a profession, based on an established standard of training, would then be a question for the relevant Government Department in the first instance. In the case of acupuncture, this would be the Department of Health.
A report was commissioned by the Department of Health and HETAC on the practices of Academic Programme Validation of certain Complementary Therapies, including Acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine Treatment. The report was published in 2012 and examined what practices were in place for the academic validation and accreditation of such programmes in countries where such programmes have been validated. The involvement of HETAC in this process concluded with the publication of this report.
Since its establishment in 2012, one of QQI’s core functions is to validate programmes of education and training against award standards. Prospective education and training providers who wish to access QQI awards may apply to become relevant providers as outlined under the Qualifications and Quality Assurance (Education and Training) Act 2012. Further information on this process is available from QQI’s website - http://www.qqi.ie.
