Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether she has had recent discussions with her counterpart in the Welsh government on the regulation of (a) physician associates and (b) anaesthesia associates.

Ministers have corresponded with their counterparts in the Welsh Government, alongside those in Scotland and Northern Ireland, in taking forward the work to bring physician associates (PAs) and anaesthesia associates (AAs) into regulation.

The regulation of PAs and AAs has been subject to extensive public consultation over several years. Throughout the project, officials have engaged thoroughly with stakeholders including the regulators, the devolved administrations, the Professional Standards Authority for Health and Social Care, representative bodies, and service users in developing the policy behind this legislation.

This engagement has been crucial in shaping both our policy intention and the resultant legislation, to ensure that it remains a practical piece of legislation for the benefit of patient safety and registrants.