§ Mr. David NicholsonTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what representations he has received about giving Government recognition to qualified chiropractors; what response he has made; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. FreemanDuring the past two months, we have received representations, as part of a campaign, from the676W British Association of Chiropractors, individual chiropractors and patients, calling for the state registration of chiropractors.
Practitioners of alternative or complementary therapies who are not registered with the General Medical Council and who are therefore not eligible to work within the NHS, are nevertheless at liberty to offer their services privately. It is for individual patients seeking the services of complementary practitioners, to satisfy themselves as to the competence of the practitioner concerned.
If members of a particular profession are concerned to ensure that professional standards are maintained and believe that statutory regulation is the best way of achieving this end, then it is for the profession itself to take all necessary steps necessary to obtain their goal.