The Minister for Health, Mr Cowen, is to consider a proposal by Mr Alan Shatter, the Fine Gael health spokesman, to make a complaint to the Irish Medical Organisation and the Law Society about the barrister and GP involved in the Baby A adoption case.

Mr Shatter said there was a need to ensure that there could never again be a repetition of events in the Baby A case where the baby was the subject of High Court proceedings.

Mr Cowen said the Department of Health was examining the question of whether counselling services should be regulated and what form that should take. Other departments would be involved in this as well, he said.

He agreed with Mr Shatter's sentiments that the "persons involved in the Aadams counselling agency behaved with a gross and appalling violation of trust of young, vulnerable women who were seeking advice and counselling in the context of their pregnancies".

The Fine Gael spokesman said it was "bizarre and illogical that a person convicted - and I am not saying this applies to the Aadam's agency - of a sexual offence could leave prison tomorrow morning, place an advertisement in the Golden Pages announcing that he is providing counselling to pregnant women or victims of sexual abuse and there is currently no legal framework in place to prevent that happening".

Mr Cowen said health boards were currently devising a model for the "uniform provision of counselling services across all health boards". He intended to see how the issue could be addressed without "driving out those who provide a good quality service and causing a deterioration in the overall position".