We will be supporting all the amendments in this group. However, I wish to put on record that the Welsh Conservatives believe that no individual should be exempt from obtaining a licence if administering a special procedure. Therefore, that is why at Stage 2 we tabled amendments that sought to remove this exemption. If an individual does not have that specific regulated competence to do the procedure, in our view they should not be able to do so. This is consistent with much of the evidence given at committee stage, and recommendation 12 of the committee report, that the Bill should be amended so that there’s no provision for a blanket exemption on the face of the Bill for any healthcare profession. However, we do appreciate that in order for this Bill to remain within its devolved legislative competence, exemptions are needed to ensure that this legislation does not infringe on the medical regulatory bodies, such as the General Medical Council.

At committee stage, the Minister stated that she could confirm it’s her intention to carry out consultation with those regulatory bodies to determine whether each of the special procedures listed is within the scope of the professional practice of their members. The exemption is, therefore, subject to their regulatory body confirming that they are competent in the procedure they wish to perform, and if not they will be brought back into the licensing system through regulations and will be required to apply for a licence.

In our view, it is critical that the Minister does proceed with her consultations with regulatory bodies to ensure that only those who are most competent are undertaking these procedures for medical or surgical purposes. Therefore, amendment 22 as tabled strengthens this legislation to ensure that standards of competence are assessed prior to obtaining a licence. This has the potential to regulate a specialist area and procedures and make sure that they are being undertaken by competent and experienced individuals. Given the subject matter, I think it is very important that we do just that.