Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the planned rise in student midwife numbers on (a) universities and (b) staff to student ratios.

The supply of core clinical professions in the National Health Service, including midwives, relies on undergraduate degree programmes that are led and delivered by the university sector. As set out in the NHS Long Term Workforce Plan, we will work with Higher Education Institutes and system partners, including professional regulators, to plan and deliver the education expansion and reforms set out in the Plan. This includes work to develop an expanded and fully trained supervisory workforce.