PARLIAMENTARY WRITTEN QUESTION
(24 March 2026)

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what estimate he has made of the number of individuals who have the legal right to work in the UK but are unable to access employment in their qualified profession due to regulatory or accreditation barriers; and what steps his Department is taking to help reduce this number.

Asked by:
Rebecca Smith (Conservative)

Decisions regarding an individual's professional recognition are made and recorded by independent regulators. Data related to the number of individuals who have the legal right to work in the UK but are unable to due to regulatory or accreditation barriers is therefore not collected by the Department.

As we said in the industrial and trade strategies, the department is currently working with regulators to prioritise the recognition of professional qualifications with international partners to support the UK's economic growth and labour market.

Answered by:
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