Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to help tackle (a) the charging of illegal fees in the recruitment process and (b) exploitative working conditions for care workers recruited from overseas.

The Home Office’s sponsor licence system places clear and binding requirements and obligations on employers looking to recruit and manage overseas employees. Should an employer be found to be in breach of these requirements we will take action and can remove their ability to recruit from overseas.

The Department of Health and Social Care has published guidance on applying for jobs from abroad as part of wider efforts to address concerns about exploitative recruitment and employment practices. It aims to help prospective overseas candidates make informed decisions when seeking health or social care jobs in the UK and includes information on how to avoid exploitation and where to report concerns and/or access wider support or help in the UK. The guidance can be found here (www.gov.uk/government/publications/applying-for-health-and-social-care-jobs-in-the-uk-from-abroad/applying-for-health-and-social-care-jobs-in-the-uk-from-abroad

The recently updated Code of Practice for the International Recruitment of Health and Social Care Personnel also sets stronger ethical standards which providers and recruiters should ensure they meet when recruiting internationally. The Code of Practice can be found here (www.gov.uk/government/publications/code-of-practice-for-the-international-recruitment-of-health-and-social-care-personnel/code-of-practice-for-the-international-recruitment-of-health-and-social-care-personnel-in-england

Providers should only engage with agencies and other recruiting organisations that are on the Code of Practice Ethical Recruiters List organisations on this list have committed to adhering to the Code of Practice. The list can be found here ((www.nhsemployers.org/articles/ethical-recruiters-list)