Written question asked by Paul Burstow (Liberal Democrat) on Wednesday, 12 January 2005, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Tuesday, 18 January 2005. It was answered by Lord Hutton of Furness (Labour) on Tuesday, 18 January 2005 on behalf of the Department of Health.

Dept of Health

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how his Department assesses whether or not a country has a surplus of a particular healthcare profession when considering overseas recruitment.

Answer: Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how his Department assesses whether or not a country has a surplus of a particular healthcare profession when considering overseas recruitment. [209038] Mr. Hutton: We have close relationships with the British embassies with whom we liaise before considering international recruitment. The Department has a number of Government-to-Government agreements with countries who have indicated they are happy for us to work with them to internationally recruit healthcare staff and is committed to an ethical approach to international recruitment.

Secondary information