Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what regulations govern practitioners who are not registered healthcare professionals performing non-therapeutic male circumcision.

There is no legal requirement for an individual undertaking male circumcision to be medically trained or to have proven expertise, but any registered healthcare professional carrying out non-therapeutic male circumcision (NTMC) cannot optout of core duties and responsibilities. Non-medically trained individuals carrying out NTMC are outside the scope of the Care Quality Commission’s regulation.

The British Medical Association has published a toolkit providing practical guidance for individuals, including on parental consent and the best interests of the patient, which includes consideration of social and cultural circumstances, and should be followed by anyone carrying out this procedure. The General Medical Council also recognises that male circumcision can be carried out for religious and cultural reasons and provides guidance for doctors on personal beliefs and medical practice.