Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the impact of the Memorandum of Understanding on nurses between the Government and the Government of Nepal on the Nepalese public health system.

The Memorandum of Understanding to recruit up to 100 Nepali nurses to work in the UK was agreed jointly by the Government of Nepal with the Department of Health and Social Care. It is designed to give the Government of Nepal control over the number of nurses recruited and maximise the benefits to Nepal that a formal, ethical and high-skilled migration opportunity can bring. The prospect of an international career has the potential to attract more nurses into the sector in Nepal. A pilot phase will ensure both governments understand how the partnership is progressing.