Nurses, Midwives and Health Visitors Act 1979 (Hansard, 13 March 1997)

§ Mr. Dorrell

It is Government policy to regularly review non-departmental public bodies. The national boards for nursing, midwifery and health visiting in the four countries of the United Kingdom fall into this category. The United Kingdom Central Council for Nursing, Midwifery and Health Visiting does not. However, there is a clear relationship between the statutory bodies. The Government therefore, as a first stage, intend to commission an independent and fundamental review of the current operations of the five statutory bodies created by the Nurses, Midwives and Health Visitors Act 1979. This will be a comprehensive study of all aspects of their work, including those issues around determining fitness to practise which go to the heart of the council's role in protecting the public. I shall, in particular, want it to consider the need for new powers to impose life bans on people convicted of the most serious offences. We shall then bring forward for consultation specific proposals for change in the light of the outcome of that review.