This report sets out the Health, Social Care and Sport Committee's consideration of a Statutory Instrument (SI) at its meeting on 17 January 2023. The minutes of the meeting have been published on the Committee's webpages. The Official Report of the meeting will be published on the Committee's webpages in due course.

Dentists, Dental Care Professionals, Nurses, Nursing Associates and Midwives (International Registrations) Order 2022 [Draft] were laid on 1 December 2022. The instrument is subject to the affirmative procedure (Rule 10.6).

The instrument amends:

• the Dentists Act 1984 and, with saving provisions, the General Dental Council (Overseas Registration Examination) Regulations 2015 which are scheduled to the General Dental Council (Overseas Registration Examination Regulations) Order of Council 2015.

• the Nursing and Midwifery Order 2001 and the Nursing and Midwifery Council (Education, Registration and Registration Appeals) Rules 2004.

The policy notes states that the purpose of this instrument is to amend the legislative framework underpinning these regulators’ international registration routes. In particular, the instrument enables the General Dental Council to set out and change its processes for international registration more efficiently. This includes providing updated powers for the General Dental Council to charge for services it undertakes. It also allows the Nursing and Midwifery Council to allow more flexibility in the range of international testing routes to ascertain applicants’ competence and change rules which set out registration processes, to reduce the time taken to process international applications. The Order also makes consequential amendments to the Health Care and Associated Professions (Knowledge of English) Order 2015.

The Delegated Powers and Law Reform (DPLR) Committee considered the instrument at its meeting on 13 December 2022. The DPLR Committee agreed that it did not need to draw the Parliament’s attention to the instrument on any grounds within its remit.

It is for the Health, Social Care and Sport Committee to recommend to the Parliament whether the Regulations should be approved.

The Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care, Humza Yousaf, has, by motion S6M-07061 proposed that the Committee recommends approval of the Regulations.

The Committee took evidence from the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care on the instrument at its meeting on 17 January 2023.

Following the evidence session, the Cabinet Secretary moved motion S6M-07061—That the Health, Social Care and Sport Committee recommends that the Dentists, Dental Care Professionals, Nurses, Nursing Associates and Midwives (International Registrations) Order 2022 [draft] be approved.

The motion was agreed to without division or dissent.