Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what contingency planning his Department is undertaking on the recruitment of (a) EU and (b) non-EU health services staff prior to the UK's exit from the EU.

The Prime Minister has stated that the United Kingdom will begin the process of exiting the European Union by triggering Article 50 of the Treaty on European Union no later than the end of March 2017. Until exit negotiations are concluded, the UK remains a full member of the EU with all the rights and obligations that membership entails.

The Prime Minister and the Secretary of State for Health have made it clear that they wish for EU citizens, including those working in the National Health Service in England, to remain in the UK once the UK has left the EU and that such a thing would only not be possible if British citizens’ rights in European member states were not protected in return. The Government is working hard to achieve that outcome.

The Secretary of State for Health has paid tribute to the staff from the EU who are working in the NHS, recognising the crucial contribution they make. The Department is working on ensuring the best outcome for the health and social care system. All policy teams within the Department are involved with this work and assessing the implications, on their area, of the UK leaving the EU.