Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the remarks by Baroness Merron on 15 April (HL Deb, cols 27GC–28GC), whether they intend the provision of treatment by foreign medical teams to those in the performing arts, elite athletes, and their teams, temporarily visiting the UK to constitute a “regulated activity” for the purposes of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 upon the coming into force of regulation two of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) (Amendment) Regulations 2026 (SI 2026/495); and if not, what assessment they have made of the implications of any difference in requirements for foreign and domestic medical staff.

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) is the regulator for health and social care in England. Providers of health and adult social care who are wholly based outside England would typically not register with the CQC.

This is because the CQC does not hold jurisdiction to regulate providers outside England and therefore cannot inspect and take enforcement action against them if the service being provided fails to meet the necessary standards as set out in the regulations.