Clause 24 - Powers and duties of the Council: general
NHS Reform and Health Care Professions Bill
5:00 pm
Mr John Hutton (Minister of State, Department of Health; Barrow and Furness, Labour)
There are, and I tried to say which groups they were in an earlier debate. Psychologists have been pushing for a scheme of professional self-regulation for some time, and have been in discussion with Ministers about that. I remember meeting them about 18 months ago to discuss it. It is generally well known that operating department practitioners and perfusionists, examples that I have given previously, are also arguing for professional self-regulation.
We are trying to ensure that the UK council has the flexibility to deal with those organisations as and when they might become part, for example, of regulation through the Health Professions Council. It is through advice from the HPC that Ministers will come to decisions about the need for future regulation in those areas.