Asked by: Baroness Hayter of Kentish Town (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Grimstone of Boscobel on 15 July (HL1644), which regulators covered by the Professional Qualifications Bill do not already have the powers to enter into recognition agreements with counterparts from other countries.
Answered by Lord Grimstone of Boscobel
The Professional Qualifications Bill will allow the relevant national authority to enable regulators to enter into regulator recognition agreements with their overseas counterparts. Such arrangements are led by regulators.
The existing powers available to regulators differ depending upon the relevant underpinning legislation. Some regulators may need additional powers to enter into recognition agreements, if regulators choose to do so. This will complement existing legislation. Some examples of regulators in this position include:
This list is not exhaustive, as not all government departments and regulators have assessed whether or not they deem that they have the powers to enter into regulator recognition agreements. We would expect engagement to be carried out with the relevant regulator before any regulations were laid to provide these additional powers.
The Government will continue to engage with regulators on the Professional Qualifications Bill, including on whether they may benefit from additional powers to enter into regulator recognition agreements.
Asked by: Baroness Hayter of Kentish Town (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what (1) new powers, and (2) opportunities for regulatory autonomy, will be available to regulators following the passage of the Professional Qualifications Bill.
Answered by Lord Grimstone of Boscobel
The Professional Qualifications Bill will ensure that regulators can determine whether individuals with overseas qualifications can practise in the UK, where this will enable demand for the services of a profession to be met.
The Bill also contains a power which will enable an appropriate national authority to authorise regulators to enter into recognition agreements with counterparts from other countries where they do not already have the power to do so. Recognition agreements, agreed by regulators, will ensure that UK professionals are able to seize the opportunities of international trade.
It is the Government’s intention that the Bill will not interfere with regulators’ autonomy to determine independently which overseas qualified professionals can practise in the UK.
Asked by: Baroness Hayter of Kentish Town (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty's Government why they decided to launch a pilot grant funding programme for UK professional and business services regulators rather than establishing such a programme on a permanent basis.
Answered by Lord Grimstone of Boscobel
The Government announced the Pilot Recognition Arrangements Grant Programme on 29 June, and it opened to applications on 8 July. Guidance on the application process is available on GOV.UK. The programme is targeted at supporting the costs of acquiring additional technical expertise incurred by regulatory and professional bodies in preparing for or negotiating a recognition arrangement. Many regulators and professional bodies have agreed recognition arrangements already, this programme will support the establishment of additional recognition arrangements.
Successful applicants will be able to apply for reimbursement of 80% of eligible costs for technical expertise to support the agreement of recognition arrangements. Regulators will be able to seek reimbursement of up to £20,000 for individual applicant bodies and £40,000 for groups of applicants. Eligible regulators and professional bodies will be required to submit a business case to apply for funding, and applications will be assessed and ranked against objective criteria. The total grant funding available under the pilot programme is £210,000.
The programme is open to regulators that control access to professions regulated in law, and professional bodies that award professional titles and voluntarily regulate professions without underpinning legislation. These bodies must operate within at least one of the four UK nations and must operate within the Professional and Business Services sector, in professions such as accounting, audit, engineering and legal services.
The Government has launched the grant programme as a pilot in order to assess the demand and potential value-add of government funding for recognition agreements. The programme will initially run for this financial year only and will undergo monitoring and evaluation to assess the efficacy of direct financial support for regulators and professional bodies in this area. Consideration will then be given as to whether the programme should be extended or not.
Asked by: Baroness Hayter of Kentish Town (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty's Government (1) how many, and (2) which, regulators will be eligible for the pilot grant funding programme for UK professional and business services regulators announced on 29 June.
Answered by Lord Grimstone of Boscobel
The Government announced the Pilot Recognition Arrangements Grant Programme on 29 June, and it opened to applications on 8 July. Guidance on the application process is available on GOV.UK. The programme is targeted at supporting the costs of acquiring additional technical expertise incurred by regulatory and professional bodies in preparing for or negotiating a recognition arrangement. Many regulators and professional bodies have agreed recognition arrangements already, this programme will support the establishment of additional recognition arrangements.
Successful applicants will be able to apply for reimbursement of 80% of eligible costs for technical expertise to support the agreement of recognition arrangements. Regulators will be able to seek reimbursement of up to £20,000 for individual applicant bodies and £40,000 for groups of applicants. Eligible regulators and professional bodies will be required to submit a business case to apply for funding, and applications will be assessed and ranked against objective criteria. The total grant funding available under the pilot programme is £210,000.
The programme is open to regulators that control access to professions regulated in law, and professional bodies that award professional titles and voluntarily regulate professions without underpinning legislation. These bodies must operate within at least one of the four UK nations and must operate within the Professional and Business Services sector, in professions such as accounting, audit, engineering and legal services.
The Government has launched the grant programme as a pilot in order to assess the demand and potential value-add of government funding for recognition agreements. The programme will initially run for this financial year only and will undergo monitoring and evaluation to assess the efficacy of direct financial support for regulators and professional bodies in this area. Consideration will then be given as to whether the programme should be extended or not.
Asked by: Baroness Hayter of Kentish Town (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the maximum size of the grant available to regulators as part of the pilot grant funding programme for UK professional and business services regulators announced on 29 June.
Answered by Lord Grimstone of Boscobel
The Government announced the Pilot Recognition Arrangements Grant Programme on 29 June, and it opened to applications on 8 July. Guidance on the application process is available on GOV.UK. The programme is targeted at supporting the costs of acquiring additional technical expertise incurred by regulatory and professional bodies in preparing for or negotiating a recognition arrangement. Many regulators and professional bodies have agreed recognition arrangements already, this programme will support the establishment of additional recognition arrangements.
Successful applicants will be able to apply for reimbursement of 80% of eligible costs for technical expertise to support the agreement of recognition arrangements. Regulators will be able to seek reimbursement of up to £20,000 for individual applicant bodies and £40,000 for groups of applicants. Eligible regulators and professional bodies will be required to submit a business case to apply for funding, and applications will be assessed and ranked against objective criteria. The total grant funding available under the pilot programme is £210,000.
The programme is open to regulators that control access to professions regulated in law, and professional bodies that award professional titles and voluntarily regulate professions without underpinning legislation. These bodies must operate within at least one of the four UK nations and must operate within the Professional and Business Services sector, in professions such as accounting, audit, engineering and legal services.
The Government has launched the grant programme as a pilot in order to assess the demand and potential value-add of government funding for recognition agreements. The programme will initially run for this financial year only and will undergo monitoring and evaluation to assess the efficacy of direct financial support for regulators and professional bodies in this area. Consideration will then be given as to whether the programme should be extended or not.
Asked by: Baroness Hayter of Kentish Town (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the total amount of funding available as part of the pilot grant funding programme for UK professional and business services regulators announced on 29 June.
Answered by Lord Grimstone of Boscobel
The Government announced the Pilot Recognition Arrangements Grant Programme on 29 June, and it opened to applications on 8 July. Guidance on the application process is available on GOV.UK. The programme is targeted at supporting the costs of acquiring additional technical expertise incurred by regulatory and professional bodies in preparing for or negotiating a recognition arrangement. Many regulators and professional bodies have agreed recognition arrangements already, this programme will support the establishment of additional recognition arrangements.
Successful applicants will be able to apply for reimbursement of 80% of eligible costs for technical expertise to support the agreement of recognition arrangements. Regulators will be able to seek reimbursement of up to £20,000 for individual applicant bodies and £40,000 for groups of applicants. Eligible regulators and professional bodies will be required to submit a business case to apply for funding, and applications will be assessed and ranked against objective criteria. The total grant funding available under the pilot programme is £210,000.
The programme is open to regulators that control access to professions regulated in law, and professional bodies that award professional titles and voluntarily regulate professions without underpinning legislation. These bodies must operate within at least one of the four UK nations and must operate within the Professional and Business Services sector, in professions such as accounting, audit, engineering and legal services.
The Government has launched the grant programme as a pilot in order to assess the demand and potential value-add of government funding for recognition agreements. The programme will initially run for this financial year only and will undergo monitoring and evaluation to assess the efficacy of direct financial support for regulators and professional bodies in this area. Consideration will then be given as to whether the programme should be extended or not.
Asked by: Baroness Hayter of Kentish Town (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Professional Qualifications Bill, what additional powers are provided to staff of the assistance centre by placing it on a statutory footing.
Answered by Lord Grimstone of Boscobel
The assistance centre supports professionals with overseas qualifications intending to work in the UK, and UK qualified professionals seeking to practise overseas. Its website and telephone advice service help professionals identify the right regulators, which may not always be clear.
Some regulators are pursuing recognition arrangements with EU counterparts, and the Government is agreeing new trade deals with provisions on the recognition of professional qualifications. The assistance centre will be useful to UK professionals as they make use of these provisions to work or provide services overseas.
Finally, the assistance centre provides support and guidance to authorities responsible for regulating professions in the UK. Many authorities use the assistance centre as a source of information on international recognition agreements.
My Rt. Hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy is responsible for making arrangements in relation to the assistance centre.
The current assistance centre, the UK Centre for Professional Qualifications, has 2.5 full time equivalent staff and is provided at a very modest cost. The exact terms of the contract for the service are commercially sensitive.
The UK had a National Contact Point for Professional Qualifications in 2007 when the legislation implementing the Recognition of Professional Qualifications Directive 2005/36/EC came into force. It was initially housed within government before a contract to run the service was awarded to ECCTIS Limited in December 2008.
The Recognition of Professional Qualifications Directive 2013/55/EU changed the requirement from each EU Member State having a National Contact Point to having an assistance centre. When the implementing legislation for this Directive came into force, the UK National Contact Point for Professional Qualifications changed to the UK National Assistance Centre in January 2016. The requirement for the assistance centre was preserved in retained EU law at the end of the Transition Period.
Providing a statutory basis for the continued existence of an assistance centre in the Bill includes placing a duty on competent authorities to cooperate with it. This is to ensure that the assistance centre has the necessary information to help support the delivery of its functions, rather than relying on voluntary information sharing arrangements. The information shared by regulators with the assistance centre is limited in nature, so this is not an onerous duty for regulators.
Asked by: Baroness Hayter of Kentish Town (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Professional Qualifications Bill, on what date the assistance centre was created.
Answered by Lord Grimstone of Boscobel
The assistance centre supports professionals with overseas qualifications intending to work in the UK, and UK qualified professionals seeking to practise overseas. Its website and telephone advice service help professionals identify the right regulators, which may not always be clear.
Some regulators are pursuing recognition arrangements with EU counterparts, and the Government is agreeing new trade deals with provisions on the recognition of professional qualifications. The assistance centre will be useful to UK professionals as they make use of these provisions to work or provide services overseas.
Finally, the assistance centre provides support and guidance to authorities responsible for regulating professions in the UK. Many authorities use the assistance centre as a source of information on international recognition agreements.
My Rt. Hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy is responsible for making arrangements in relation to the assistance centre.
The current assistance centre, the UK Centre for Professional Qualifications, has 2.5 full time equivalent staff and is provided at a very modest cost. The exact terms of the contract for the service are commercially sensitive.
The UK had a National Contact Point for Professional Qualifications in 2007 when the legislation implementing the Recognition of Professional Qualifications Directive 2005/36/EC came into force. It was initially housed within government before a contract to run the service was awarded to ECCTIS Limited in December 2008.
The Recognition of Professional Qualifications Directive 2013/55/EU changed the requirement from each EU Member State having a National Contact Point to having an assistance centre. When the implementing legislation for this Directive came into force, the UK National Contact Point for Professional Qualifications changed to the UK National Assistance Centre in January 2016. The requirement for the assistance centre was preserved in retained EU law at the end of the Transition Period.
Providing a statutory basis for the continued existence of an assistance centre in the Bill includes placing a duty on competent authorities to cooperate with it. This is to ensure that the assistance centre has the necessary information to help support the delivery of its functions, rather than relying on voluntary information sharing arrangements. The information shared by regulators with the assistance centre is limited in nature, so this is not an onerous duty for regulators.
Asked by: Baroness Hayter of Kentish Town (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Professional Qualifications Bill, how much annual funding the assistance centre receives.
Answered by Lord Grimstone of Boscobel
The assistance centre supports professionals with overseas qualifications intending to work in the UK, and UK qualified professionals seeking to practise overseas. Its website and telephone advice service help professionals identify the right regulators, which may not always be clear.
Some regulators are pursuing recognition arrangements with EU counterparts, and the Government is agreeing new trade deals with provisions on the recognition of professional qualifications. The assistance centre will be useful to UK professionals as they make use of these provisions to work or provide services overseas.
Finally, the assistance centre provides support and guidance to authorities responsible for regulating professions in the UK. Many authorities use the assistance centre as a source of information on international recognition agreements.
My Rt. Hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy is responsible for making arrangements in relation to the assistance centre.
The current assistance centre, the UK Centre for Professional Qualifications, has 2.5 full time equivalent staff and is provided at a very modest cost. The exact terms of the contract for the service are commercially sensitive.
The UK had a National Contact Point for Professional Qualifications in 2007 when the legislation implementing the Recognition of Professional Qualifications Directive 2005/36/EC came into force. It was initially housed within government before a contract to run the service was awarded to ECCTIS Limited in December 2008.
The Recognition of Professional Qualifications Directive 2013/55/EU changed the requirement from each EU Member State having a National Contact Point to having an assistance centre. When the implementing legislation for this Directive came into force, the UK National Contact Point for Professional Qualifications changed to the UK National Assistance Centre in January 2016. The requirement for the assistance centre was preserved in retained EU law at the end of the Transition Period.
Providing a statutory basis for the continued existence of an assistance centre in the Bill includes placing a duty on competent authorities to cooperate with it. This is to ensure that the assistance centre has the necessary information to help support the delivery of its functions, rather than relying on voluntary information sharing arrangements. The information shared by regulators with the assistance centre is limited in nature, so this is not an onerous duty for regulators.
Asked by: Baroness Hayter of Kentish Town (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Professional Qualifications Bill, how many members of staff the assistance centre has.
Answered by Lord Grimstone of Boscobel
The assistance centre supports professionals with overseas qualifications intending to work in the UK, and UK qualified professionals seeking to practise overseas. Its website and telephone advice service help professionals identify the right regulators, which may not always be clear.
Some regulators are pursuing recognition arrangements with EU counterparts, and the Government is agreeing new trade deals with provisions on the recognition of professional qualifications. The assistance centre will be useful to UK professionals as they make use of these provisions to work or provide services overseas.
Finally, the assistance centre provides support and guidance to authorities responsible for regulating professions in the UK. Many authorities use the assistance centre as a source of information on international recognition agreements.
My Rt. Hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy is responsible for making arrangements in relation to the assistance centre.
The current assistance centre, the UK Centre for Professional Qualifications, has 2.5 full time equivalent staff and is provided at a very modest cost. The exact terms of the contract for the service are commercially sensitive.
The UK had a National Contact Point for Professional Qualifications in 2007 when the legislation implementing the Recognition of Professional Qualifications Directive 2005/36/EC came into force. It was initially housed within government before a contract to run the service was awarded to ECCTIS Limited in December 2008.
The Recognition of Professional Qualifications Directive 2013/55/EU changed the requirement from each EU Member State having a National Contact Point to having an assistance centre. When the implementing legislation for this Directive came into force, the UK National Contact Point for Professional Qualifications changed to the UK National Assistance Centre in January 2016. The requirement for the assistance centre was preserved in retained EU law at the end of the Transition Period.
Providing a statutory basis for the continued existence of an assistance centre in the Bill includes placing a duty on competent authorities to cooperate with it. This is to ensure that the assistance centre has the necessary information to help support the delivery of its functions, rather than relying on voluntary information sharing arrangements. The information shared by regulators with the assistance centre is limited in nature, so this is not an onerous duty for regulators.