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Commonwealth Doctors and Dentists

If I can make a little progress, some of the answers to those points will perhaps become a little clearer. It is only right that jobs and training programmes that are available in the UK for junior doctors should go first to UK nationals. That is the principle of ensuring that UK workers have access to jobs, which is the principle at the heart of our migration system and, indeed, the migration systems of developed countries throughout the world. I make no apology for the fact that the Government are committed to fostering the talent and harnessing the abilities of our own citizens. The changes that we have made to the immigration rules for postgraduate doctors and dentists do not mean that we will no longer allow doctors and dentists from overseas to come and train in the UK. They mean that, as in other sectors of the economy, UK and EEA nationals must be considered first. Non-EEA nationals who wish to come to the UK as new doctors or dentists will still be able to do so, but they will have to apply in a way that is the norm for other overseas workers. That means that employers who wish to appoint an overseas doctor or dentist first have to demonstrate that they cannot find a UK or EEA national to fill the post. When considering the changes, we wanted to reduce as far as possible the burden on NHS trusts, postgraduate deans and individual hospitals. We thus announced the changes in March so that we could give people as much time as possible to plan for their effect before the next round of appointments to posts started in August. I recognise that we did not provide full details of the changes before they came into effect, but we took steps to ensure that all relevant stakeholders were consulted on, and informed about, the general intention of the changes. Officials from the Department of Health and the Home Office outlined the proposed changes at a NHS work force planning meeting in January, which was held well in advance of the changes coming into effect in April. Since then, officials have had several meetings and discussions with stakeholders, so I do not accept the allegation that we did not consult adequately on the change. There have been some regrettable reports in the media regarding the change, such as suggestions that all overseas doctors and dentists training in the UK will be asked to leave before they complete their training. Those with leave granted under the previous rules still have that leave and are subject to the same conditions as they were before the changes were made. That means that they can complete ongoing posts and take new posts within the period for which they have leave. We have also put in place transitional arrangements to allow certain doctors and dentists who are in the middle of training programmes or training posts to switch into the work permit system without requiring employers to advertise the job and demonstrate that they cannot find a UK or EEA national to fill the post. As well as making transitional arrangements for those already in training, we have retained some provisions for overseas doctors and dentists in the future. If people have chosen to study medicine or dentistry in the UK and completed their degree here, we have made provision for them to stay on in the UK to undertake the next stage of their training. The changes are not the end of the road. They are a step on the way to a more coherent and consistent migration system and a response to the success of our programmes for recruiting and training UK doctors. The motion having been made at Seven o'clock, and the debate having continued for half an hour, Madam Deputy Speaker adjourned the House without Question put, pursuant to the Standing Order.