Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many NHS nurses they estimate will be affected by the new pay threshold for migrants; and whether they anticipate there will be a shortfall in NHS nursing staff as a result.

The Home Office estimate that there were 713 visas issued to nurses in 2011/12 to whom the pay threshold and six year cap would apply if they are still resident in the United Kingdom.

Health Education England (HEE) is responsible for delivering a better health and healthcare workforce for England and for ensuring a secure future supply of nurses with the right skills, values and behaviours to meet future demand.

HEE has increased nurse training places by 11% over the last two years and there are currently over 20,000 more professionally qualified clinical staff since 2010, including over 8,100 more nurses on our wards.