Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what (a) discussions he has had with representatives of the Health and Care Professions Council and (b) representations his Department has received on the potential effects on health professionals of that organisation's decision to increase registration fees.

My Rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care has many discussions with stakeholders across the health and care sector. I have written to the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) asking it to consider the impact of its proposed fee rise on part-time workers, which was raised by hon. Members at a Westminster Hall Debate held on 14 March 2019. The HCPC responded to this letter on 1 May, explaining the practical difficulties and potential perverse incentives of introducing differential fees for part-time workers.

A search of the Department’s Ministerial correspondence database has identified 79 items of correspondence received since 24 September 2018 about the HCPC’s decision to increase registration fees. This figure represents correspondence received by the Department’s Ministerial correspondence unit only. In addition to this, the Department has received nine Written Parliamentary Questions on this matter, and engaged with hon. Members at a Westminster Hall Debate on the proposed HCPC fee rise on 14 March 2019. The HCPC is independent of Government and funded by registrants’ fees on a cost recovery basis.