Written question asked by Oliver Heald (Conservative) on Wednesday, 3 July 2002, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 8 July 2002. It was answered by Lord Hutton of Furness (Labour) on Monday, 8 July 2002 on behalf of the Department of Health.

Dept of Health

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what plans he has to legislate for the regulation of (a) psychologists, (b) psycho-therapists and (c) counsellors.

Answer: Mr. Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to legislate for the regulation of (a) psychologists, (b) psychotherapists and (c) counsellors. [67981] Mr. Hutton: We have given a high priority to improving service quality in general in the national health service and social care services, as well as in the private sector. A number of initiatives testify to this, including the development of national service frameworks, the establishment of the National Institute for Clinical Excellence and the new framework of clinical governance. These modernised and more accountable professional regulatory arrangements will work alongside NHS quality assurance arrangements to offer much better protection for patients, wherever they are seen. Proposals for the regulation of these groups are in the first instance a matter for the health professions council. The Department have indicated that we will be supporting moves to establish a scheme of statutory professional regulation of applied psychologists.

Secondary information