What is the consultation process?
How can you have your say on licensing?
In the first instance, it is important to understand how the initial proposal for various aspects of the licensing scheme are drafted.
The Department of Health and Social Care is currently engaging with a range of stakeholders, such as members of the public, representative membership bodies from the aesthetic industry, healthcare regulatory authorities, those running existing accredited registers for cosmetic practitioners, Local Authority enforcement colleagues and the Local Government Association. Together they have been discussing what they feel should be included within the Licensing Scheme and have produced various documents to inform and explain their proposals.
These early stage conversations and discussions have now resulted in the production of the first of two national public consultation exercises, where you as an individual or an organisation can present your opinions and provide feedback regarding the particular proposals set out in the current consultation paper.
Based on the outcome of the public consultation exercise, the Government will review the feedback received. Amendments will then be made accordingly. Through this process and involving members of the public it makes the process fairer and takes on board everyone’s opinion instead of a select few. Once this process is completed the regulations that will underpin the licensing scheme can be finalised.
These regulations, which will set out the detail of the licensing scheme in legislation, will then be subject to legislative scrutiny through the affirmative Parliamentary process. This means that the new draft regulations must then be debated in, and approved by, both Houses of Parliament.
