Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what representations his Department has made to the Health and Care Professions Council on its decision to increase the mandatory registration fee for care workers.

The Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) is a self-financing, independent regulator that is accountable to Parliament through the Professional Standards Authority for Health and Social Care (PSA). The PSA assesses the HCPC’s performance, conduct audits, scrutinise their decisions and report to Parliament.

It is for the council of the HCPC to set their fees at a level which ensures they can fulfil their statutory role of protecting, promoting and maintaining the health and safety of the public.

The Department understands that the HCPC publicly consulted on raising its registrant fee and as part of that process explained the raise was for a number of reasons: to fund the periodic fee it is required to pay the PSA; to enable the HCPC to operate more flexibly and efficiently; and to ensure the HCPC’s financial viability in the medium to long term.