Medical Training (Prioritisation) Bill 2024-26

12A

Clause 4, page 3, line 4, at end insert – "(2A) A person is within this subsection if – (a) they hold a primary medical qualification awarded by an Irish medical school, (b) the qualification was awarded following study at an overseas campus of that medical school that is extant on the day on which the Act is passed, and (c) the programme of study in the overseas campus is approved by the Irish Medical Council as – (i) identical in content, standards and assessment to the programme undertaken in Ireland, or (ii) equivalent to a primary Irish qualification where degree holders spend at least 50% of their training for the qualification in Ireland."

5

LORD PATEL

Clause 2, page 1, line 11, after “are” insert “UK medical graduates, and then to”

9

LORD PATEL

Clause 3, page 2, line 11, after “are” insert “UK medical graduates, and then to”

Clause 2, page 2, line 1, leave out paragraphs (d) and (e) and insert- “(d) a person who has completed at least two years of training or employment in a medical capacity within the National Health Service.”

Clause 4, page 3, line 4, leave out “(3) or (4)” and insert “(2A), (3) or (4). (2A) A person is within this subsection if they hold a primary United Kingdom medical qualification, where - (a) the course of study was delivered by an overseas campus of a medical school of a UK-registered institution that is extant on the day on which this Act is passed, (b) the course of study leading to that qualification was delivered, in whole or in part, at a campus outside the British Islands which delivered a course that the General Medical Council approved as identical in content, standard and assessment to the equivalent course undertaken within the British Islands, and (c) that qualification was awarded by an institution that is a UK registered higher education provider for the purposes of – (i) section 3 of the Higher Education Research Act 2017 (the register), (ii) Schedule 6 of the Education Reform Act 1988 (courses of higher education), (iii) section 38 of the Further and Higher Education of Scotland Act 1992 (meaning of higher education), or (iv) Schedule 1(2) of the Further Education (Northern Ireland) Order 1997 (higher education: professional examinations)."

Clause 4, page 3, line 21, at end insert — "(7) The appropriate authority may by regulations prescribe a maximum number of persons eligible by virtue of subsection (2A) in any application cycle. (8) A maximum set under subsection (7) must not be lower than the number of such persons in the previous application cycle."

Clause 7, page 4, line 39, leave out subsections (1) to (4) and insert— "(1) Regulations under this Act are subject to the affirmative procedure.”

Clause 7, page 5, line 41, after “countries)” insert “and section 4(7) (regulations setting maximum number of applicants eligible for prioritisation)"

23

Clause 7, page 4, line 39, leave out subsections (1) to (4) and insert—
“(1) Regulations under this Act are subject to the affirmative resolution procedure.”

Clause 4, page 3, line 4, leave out “(3) or (4)” and insert “(2A), (3) or (4). (2A) A person is within this subsection if - (a) they have been granted protection status in accordance with rules made under section 3(2) of the Immigration Act 1971, (b) they have been granted limited leave to enter or remain in the United Kingdom by virtue of Appendix Hong Kong British National (Overseas) of rules made under section 3(2) of the Immigration Act 1971, or (c) they have, as part of a safe and legal humanitarian immigration route, leave to enter or remain in the United Kingdom in accordance with rules made under section 3(2) of the Immigration Act 1971 or leave on a discretionary basis outside of rules.

1

LORD PATEL

Clause 1, page 1, line 4, after “must” insert “first”

3

LORD PATEL

Clause 1, page 1, line 5, leave out from “graduates” to end of line 6 and insert “and then to eligible applicants who are persons in the priority group"

4

Clause 1, page 1, line 7, at end insert - "(2) Nothing in this section shall be taken to negate or override a confirmed offer of a place on a UK Foundation Programme where the offer was made prior to the date on which this Act was first laid as a Bill before Parliament. (3) In this section “confirmed offer” means an offer in writing made by a person who has a function of deciding offers of places on a UK Foundation Programme."

5

Clause 2, page 1, line 10, leave out “2026” and insert “2027"

6

LORD PATEL

Clause 2, page 1, line 10, after "must" insert "first"

7

LORD PATEL

Clause 2, page 1, line 11, at end insert “UK medical graduates, and then to -"

8

LORD PATEL

Clause 2, page 1, line 12, leave out paragraph (a)

10

Clause 2, page 2, line 1, leave out paragraphs (d) and (e) and insert- "(d) a person who is registered on the NHS Oriel recruitment platform, or (e) a person who has demonstrated a professional commitment to the National Health Service."

12

LORD PATEL

Clause 3, page 2, line 10, after “must” insert "first"

13

LORD PATEL

Clause 3, page 2, line 11, at end insert “UK medical graduates, and then to -"

14

LORD PATEL

Clause 3, page 2, line 12, leave out paragraph (a)

20

Clause 4, page 3, line 15, at end insert- “(e) the British Islands, in respect of persons who have spent a majority of their time training for the qualification outside the British Islands.”

21

Clause 4, page 3, line 21, at end insert- "(7) The appropriate authority may by regulations prescribe a maximum number of persons eligible for inclusion in the category of persons defined by subsection (4)(e)."

22

After Clause 5, insert the following new Clause - "Review: provision of medical training places (1) Within six months of the day on which this Act is passed, the Secretary of State must undertake a review of the impact of this Act on the provision of medical training places as part of the UK Foundation Programme and UK specialty training programmes as defined by section 5 of this Act. (2) The review under subsection (1) must include assessment of the impact of this Act on- (a) the take-up of places on the UK Foundation Programme and UK specialty training programmes in each calendar year from 2010 to 2025, and (b) the total number of valid applications to the UK Foundation Programme and UK specialty training programmes in each calendar year from 2010 to 2025.

27

Clause 8, page 6, line 23, leave out from “on” to end of line 24 and insert “the day on which it is passed”

15

Clause 4, page 3, line 2, at end insert “, unless they hold a primary UK medical qualification issued by a UK registered institution, operating on the date of 1 January 2026, which is identical in character to a qualification undertaken in the British Islands and recognised as such by the UK General Medical Council.”

Clause 1, page 1, line 4, leave out from “places” to end of line 7 and insert “first to eligible applicants in the category set out in subsection (2), then to eligible applicants in the category set out in subsection (3), and then to eligible applicants in the category set out in subsection (4). (2) This category is UK medical graduates who are British citizens. (3) This category is persons in the priority group. (4) This category is UK medical graduates who are not British citizens.”

LORD PATEL

Clause 2, page 1, line 16, at end insert— “(e) persons of a description set out in regulations made by the appropriate authority,”

LORD PATEL

Clause 2, page 2, line 6, at end insert - "(3) Regulations under subsection (1)(e) may only describe persons who– (a) in the opinion of the appropriate authority, meet criteria set out in the regulations which indicate that they are likely to have significant experience of working as a doctor in the National Health Service in England, Wales or Scotland or in Health and Social Care in Northern Ireland, or (b) are persons within any of paragraphs (a) to (e) of subsection (2) or are otherwise described by reference to their immigration status.”

Clause 4, page 3, line 4, leave out “(3) or (4)” and insert “(2A), (3) or (4). (2A) A person is within this subsection if they hold a primary UK medical qualification issued by a UK-registered institution, operating on 1 January 2026, which is identical in character to a qualification undertaken in the British Islands and recognised as such by the UK General Medical Council. In this subsection, a UK-registered institution means an institution that meets the requirements of – (a) section 3 of the Higher Education Research Act 2017 (the register), (b) Schedule 6 of the Education Reform Act 1988 (courses of higher education), (c) section 38 of the Further and Higher Education of Scotland Act 1992 (meaning of higher education), or (d) Schedule 1(2) of the Further Education (Northern Ireland) Order 1997 (higher education: professional examinations).”

Clause 4, page 3, line 4, leave out “(3) or (4)” and insert “(2A), (3) or (4). (2A) A person is within this subsection if - (a) they hold a primary medical qualification awarded by a United Kingdom medical school, (b) the qualification was awarded following study at an overseas campus of that medical school that is extant on the day on which this Act is passed, and (c) the qualification and course of study are approved by the General Medical Council as equivalent to a primary United Kingdom qualification.”

Clause 4, page 3, line 8, leave out paragraph (b) and insert— "(b) they spent at least 60% of their time training for that qualification in Ireland."

Clause 4, page 3, line 13, at end insert— "(ba) Malta,”

Clause 7, page 4, line 39, leave out subsections (1) to (4) and insert— “(1) Regulations under this Act are subject to the affirmative resolution procedure.”

LORD PATEL

Clause 7, page 4, line 39, at end insert — "(za) section 2 (specialty training programmes: offers made in 2026),"

LORD PATEL

Clause 7, page 5, line 24, after “under” insert “section 2,”

Clause 8, page 6, line 23, leave out from “force” to the end of line 24 and insert “one month after the day on which it is passed."

Clause 1, page 1, line 4, leave out from “places” to end of line 7 and insert “first to eligible applicants in the category set out in subsection (2), then to eligible applicants in the category set out in subsection (3), and then to eligible applicants in the category set out in subsection (4). (2) This category is UK medical graduates who are British citizens. (3) This category is persons in the priority group. (4) This category is UK medical graduates who are not British citizens.”

Clause 4, page 3, line 2, at end insert “, unless they hold a primary UK medical qualification issued by a UK registered institution, operating on the date of 1 January 2026, which is identical in character to a qualification undertaken in the British Islands and recognised as such by the UK General Medical Council."

Clause 4, page 3, line 4, leave out “(3) or (4)” and insert “(2A), (3) or (4). (2A) A person is within this subsection if they hold a primary UK medical qualification issued by a UK-registered institution, operating on 1 January 2026, which is identical in character to a qualification undertaken in the British Islands and recognised as such by the UK General Medical Council. In this subsection, a UK-registered institution means an institution that meets the requirements of - (a) section 3 of the Higher Education Research Act 2017 (the register), (b) Schedule 6 of the Education Reform Act 1988 (courses of higher education), (c) section 38 of the Further and Higher Education of Scotland Act 1992 (meaning of higher education), or (d) Schedule 1(2) of the Further Education (Northern Ireland) Order 1997 (higher education: professional examinations).”

Clause 4, page 3, line 4, leave out “(3) or (4)” and insert “(2A), (3) or (4). (2A) A person is within this subsection if - (a) they hold a primary medical qualification awarded by a United Kingdom medical school, (b) the qualification was awarded following study at an overseas campus of that medical school that is extant on the day on which this Act is passed, and (c) the qualification and course of study are approved by the General Medical Council as equivalent to a primary United Kingdom qualification."

Clause 4, page 3, line 13, at end insert- "(ba) Malta,”

Clause 7, page 4, line 39, leave out subsections (1) to (4) and insert— "(1) Regulations under this Act are subject to the affirmative resolution procedure."

Clause 8, page 6, line 23, leave out from “force” to the end of line 24 and insert “one month after the day on which it is passed”

1

Clause 8, page 6, line 23, leave out from “on” to the end of line 24 and insert “the day on which it is passed”

This amendment would bring the Act into force on the day on which it receives Royal Assent.

6

Clause 2, page 1, line 16, at end insert- "(e) persons within subsection (3),”

7

Clause 2, page 2, line 6, at end insert- "(3) A person is within this subsection if they- (a) were actively employed as a doctor in the NHS or Health and Social Care Northern Ireland on 13 January 2026; and (b) had submitted a valid application for a UK specialty training programme for a start date in 2026 before the day on which this section comes into force. (4) For the purposes of subsection (3), “actively employed” includes, but is not limited to, persons on fixed-term Trust Grade, Clinical Fellow or Staff, Associate Specialist and Specialty Doctor contracts.”

10

Clause 4, page 3, line 2, at end insert "unless that time was spent outside the British Islands as part of a posting with the UK armed forces."

9

Clause 4, page 3, line 3, after “are” insert “a British citizen or are”

8

Clause 5, page 3, line 30, at end insert “, provided that the majority of training for the programme takes place in the United Kingdom."

NC2

To move the following Clause— "Allocation of individual places on merit (1) This section applies to the allocation of individual candidates to specific places on a UK Foundation Programme or a UK specialty training programme, whether that allocation takes place in the course of deciding offers of places or otherwise. (2) A person who has a function of allocating places on a UK Foundation Programme or a UK specialty training programme must ensure that, once the prioritisation requirements set out in sections 1 to 3 of this Act have been applied, those allocations are based on an assessment of the applicants' merits. (3) For the purposes of the assessment of the applicants' merits, a person may take into account- (a) the candidates' educational achievements, (b) the candidates' clinical performance, (c) structured assessments of relevant skills and knowledge, (d) the candidates' research, leadership, management, quality improvement, and teaching skills, and (e) the candidates' knowledge relating to the place being allocated."

NC3

To move the following Clause— "International students (1) The Secretary of State must report annually to Parliament on the impact of the provisions of this Act on the numbers of international students at UK medical schools. (2) This report must include an assessment of the financial impact on medical schools."

2

Clause 7, page 5, line 1, leave out paragraph (a)

3

Clause 7, page 5, line 24, leave out "section 3 or"

4

Clause 7, page 5, line 40, after "under” insert "section 3 (regulations describing persons who may be prioritised for specialty training programmes from 2027 onwards)"

5

Clause 7, page 6, line 19, at end insert— "(6) Before laying before Parliament a draft statutory instrument containing regulations under section 3 the Secretary of State must obtain the consent of- (a) the Welsh Ministers, if the draft regulations contain provision which would be within the legislative competence of Senedd Cymru if it were contained in an Act of the Senedd; (b) the Scottish Ministers, if the draft regulations contain provision which would be within the legislative competence of the Scottish Parliament if it were contained in an Act of the Scottish Parliament; (c) the Department of Health in Northern Ireland, if the draft regulations contain provision which- (i) would be within the legislative competence of the Northern Ireland Assembly if it were contained in an Act of that Assembly, and (ii) would not, if it were contained in a Bill for an Act of the Northern Ireland Assembly, result in the Bill requiring the consent of the Secretary of State."

NC1

To move the following Clause— "Report on impact (1) The Secretary of State must lay before Parliament an annual report on the impact of the provisions of this Act. (2) A report under this section must include- (a) an assessment of the impact of the provisions of this Act on the number of applications for places on— (i) UK Foundation Programmes, and (ii) UK speciality training programmes, and (b) if the assessment under paragraph (a) concludes that there has been a decrease in the total number of applications attributable to the provisions of this Act, an analysis of the potential impact of that decrease on the number of fully qualified doctors working in the NHS and Health and Social Care Northern Ireland, including specific analysis of the impact on the number of general practitioners and on each medical specialism. (3) The first report under this section must be laid before 31 December 2029.”

Clause 8, page 6, line 23, leave out from “on” to the end of line 24 and insert “the day on which it is passed"