Written question asked by Andrew Murrison (Conservative) on Friday, 29 October 2004, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Thursday, 4 November 2004. It was answered by Lord Hutton of Furness (Labour) on Thursday, 4 November 2004 on behalf of the Department of Health.

Dept of Health

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of unemployment levels among non-UK trained junior doctors living in England. - Including figures.

Answer: Dr. Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of unemployment levels among non-UK trained junior doctors living in England. [195580] Mr. Hutton: In September 2003, the national health service employed almost 36,000 doctors who had obtained their medical qualification outside of the United Kingdom. The Department does not collect information about the unemployment levels of junior doctors. Junior doctors who have trained outside of the UK have to pass the Professional and Linguistic Assessment Board (PLAB) examination before being accepted onto the General Medical Council (GMC) register. The GMC has surveyed doctors who have taken the PLAB examination in the last year to find out how quickly they obtain posts. The survey has shown that 93 per cent. have obtained a post within a year.

Secondary information