Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) (Amendment) Regulations 2026

Baroness Grey-Thompson Excerpts

Wednesday 15th April 2026 Grand Committee

[Baroness Harding of Winscombe (Con)]

My Lords, I will be very brief. The Explanatory Notes say that a full impact assessment was not completed because

“no significant impact on the private, voluntary or public sector is foreseen”.

I think it entirely foreseeable that there could be significant cost and complexity, as well as an inability to deliver the healthcare benefits that we all seek, for two important sectors of society that provide important glue as well as economic value. Whether we are talking about grass-roots or world-class sporting and cultural events, if we implement this SI badly, there will be substantial negative consequences.

I am aware that I have asked an awful lot of questions. May I be presumptuous and ask the Minister for a meeting with the department and the CQC so that a number of us can properly understand how this measure will be implemented?

[Baroness Grey-Thompson (CB)]

My Lords, I declare an interest as the chair of Sport Wales; with that, I sit on the board of UK Sport. I am also a board member of Active Travel England.

I reiterate the comments made by others about how horrendous and horrific the Manchester bombing was, as well as how significant an impact it had on so many people. The recommendations are important. I absolutely understand why we want to protect people and improve the system. I am also going to ask a number of questions, so I would be very happy for a follow-up afterwards.

I have spoken to a number of organisations in the wider sport industry. It is fair to say, I think, that there is a level of concern about the statutory instrument that we are debating today and the impact that it could have on the wider sports industry. I understand that the Sport and Recreation Alliance has written to the Minister; I would be interested in the reply and to know what further work has been undertaken.

I know from speaking to a wide group of people who work in the sports industry that they generally feel as though His Majesty’s Government have failed to engage with the sector properly and have not understood the significant, negative effect that this measure may have on the provision of medical care at events. There is a real risk of this preventing some sports events and activities from going ahead, or going ahead without the medical cover that they currently have, in order to avoid the consequences of the proposals.

The noble Baroness, Lady Harding, made some interesting points on registration. Medics often work in a voluntary capacity across a number of events of various sizes. It is important that these people are not registered multiple times. We should try to avoid some of the failings of DBS checks, where people are registered on lots of different systems. That does not solve the problem that we are trying to solve.

The Sport and Recreation Alliance has called for a commitment to create a specific exemption for all treatment provided to athletes, performers and officials. This is also an important area for us to look at. We should include spectators in that as well, because some events have lots of spectators and some have absolutely none. Many believe that this would not be contrary to the recommendations of the Manchester Arena inquiry and could solve many of the issues that the regulations might cause.

Can the Minister explain what further considerations have been given to understanding the impact on sport and sporting events? I wonder if clarification is needed on the definition of different events and the sizes, because they are very different. Also, what is understood by “injury” and “first aid”? People working on the ground might struggle to understand that. I was also wondering whether the Department for Culture, Media and Sport has provided a view on this and on its impact.