Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have reassessed their plans to replace bursaries with loans for all nursing students in the light of the potential impact of the decision to withdraw from the UK on the recruitment and retention within the NHS of qualified nurses from other EU member states.

The Government has not reassessed plans to replace bursaries with loans to take into account the decision to withdraw from the European Union (EU).

The Department of Health is working with the Department for Exiting the European Union to ensure that the needs of health and social care providers and those in need of health and social care services are taken into account as we exit from the EU.

In October 2016, the Department for Education confirmed that EU students will remain eligible to apply for the standard student loan package and this will not change during their course if the Government triggers Brexit during the next few years.