Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has undertaken an impact assessment of the potential impact of the changes introduced in December 2025 to accreditation requirements for counsellors on the level of waiting times for patients seeking access to counselling services.

The Department does not set the qualification requirements for psychotherapy and counselling and was not involved in the changes to accreditation requirements introduced in December 2025. The Department does not receive any revenue or financial benefits arising from those changes.