That this House notes with concern the potential impact of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) (Amendment) Regulations 2026 on small-volunteer led organisations; recognises the impetus for this change arose from the recommendations of the Manchester Arena bombing inquiry, and that improved regulation in this area is warranted; particularly notes that mountain rescue teams, including Kirkby Stephen, Kendal, Coniston, and Patterdale Mountain Rescue Teams, routinely provide rescue cover free of charge at local community events such as fell races and agricultural shows, and that such teams would face registration costs estimated at between £10,000 and £20,000, in addition to a significant and ongoing administrative burden that is impossible to bear for the scale of their operations; is concerned that CQC assessors are trained to regulate hospitals and care facilities, and may lack the specialist expertise necessary to assess mountain rescue teams; warns that should these requirements proceed in their current form, mountain rescue teams will be unable to continue providing first aid cover at community events, forcing small, local events to engage commercial providers at considerable additional cost, while in genuine mountain emergencies the public would still depend entirely on mountain rescue teams regardless; and calls on the Government to amend the proposed legislation to introduce a proportionate, risk-based exemption for volunteer mountain rescue teams and similar small organisations, ensuring that vital community services are protected and that the regulatory burden imposed is commensurate with the scale
