Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of introducing regulation of non-therapeutic male circumcision.

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) regulates male circumcisions including those performed for non-therapeutic reasons, when carried out by a healthcare professional. Circumcisions performed by regulated healthcare professionals are subject to CQC registration and oversight, ensuring consistent standards of safety and quality in those cases. Religious or cultural circumcisions by individuals who are not registered healthcare professionals remain outside the regulatory scope.

The Department had made no recent assessment of the potential merits of introducing regulation of non-therapeutic circumcision when performed by those who are not healthcare professionals.