Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the availability of veterinary nurses.

Veterinary nurses are a key part of veterinary teams and the profession undoubtedly provides a rewarding career. Veterinary nurses register with the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS) who have confirmed there are currently 20,789 Registered Veterinary Nurses in the UK, an increase of around 4,000 from 2018 numbers.