Written question asked by John McDonnell (Labour) on Tuesday, 6 February 2001, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Wednesday, 21 March 2001. It was answered by John Denham (Labour) on Wednesday, 21 March 2001 on behalf of the Department of Health.

Dept of Health

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what support and assistance he will be providing to assist overseas doctors in completing the required professional and language tests to enable them to register in this country as part of his proposal to recruit overseas doctors under the NHS plan.

Answer: Mr. McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what support and assistance he will be providing to assist overseas doctors in completing the required professional and language tests to enable them to register in this country as part of his proposal to recruit overseas doctors under the NHS plan. [149804] Mr. Denham: We have no plans to support doctors (many of whom will still be resident in their home countries) while they prepare for professional and language tests that are, in themselves, no guarantee of employment in the United Kingdom. The early stages of testing are, however, more accessible as they are now available in a number of countries outside the UK.

Secondary information