Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask Her Majesty’s Government how their intention to regulate non-medical public health specialists is consistent with their response to the House of Commons Health Select Committee report on the Health and Care Professions Council annual accountability review that extension of the current statutory regulation framework would only be considered where there is a compelling case on the basis of a public safety risk and where assured voluntary registers are not considered sufficient to manage this risk.

The Government made a careful assessment of the level of risk posed by non-medical public health specialists before deciding to extend statutory regulation. Although there is no evidence that a non-medical public health specialist has acted in a way that has put the public at harm, in view of the rising proportion of public health specialists that do not have a medical or dental background and given the critical leadership role that public health consultants play in protecting the public from harm, the Government believes that there is a need to introduce statutory regulation for this group of professionals.