Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate he has made of the number of nationals of other EU countries working in the NHS as cleaners; what assessment he has made of the potential effect of the UK leaving the EU on the number of such cleaners; and what assessment he has made of the potential effect on NHS productivity of that change in the number of such cleaners.

The information requested is not collected centrally. Data is collected annually in the Estates Return Information Collection from the National Health Service on the total number of cleaning staff in the NHS including both directly employed and contracted out staff. However, data on the nationality of cleaners is not collected.

The potential effect on nationals and productivity of leaving the European Union will be dependent on the outcome of negotiations. The Prime Minister has been clear that she wants to protect the status of EU nationals already living here. It is the Government’s aim to get the best settlement for the United Kingdom in all areas including the healthcare system.