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 including First Responder and Emergency Medical Technicians amongst regulated professions.

No specific assessment has been made. However, we are committed to a proportionate system of safeguards for professionals working in the health and care system. We believe that statutory regulation of healthcare professionals should only be used where the risks to public and patient protection cannot be addressed in other ways, such as through employer oversight or accredited voluntary registration.

While the professions subject to statutory regulation is kept under review, we do not believe that there is an immediate case to amend those staff groups which are currently regulated.