Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for the Home Department on visa restrictions for potential NHS staff.
My Rt. hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, has regular discussions with Ministerial colleagues on a number of issues, including on the issue of tier 2 visas for potential National Health Service staff.
The Government recognises fully the contribution that international doctors working in the NHS make towards delivering the high quality compassionate care we all expect.
But it is important that our immigration system works in the national interest, ensuring that employers look first to the United Kingdom resident labour market before recruiting from overseas.
The Department of Health and Social Care and the Home Office are monitoring the operation of the cap closely to ensure it continues to strike the right balance. The health sector continues to occupy the largest cohort of applications within the tier 2 limit, taking 39% of available places within the cap in 2017/18.