Asked by: Tony Vaughan (Labour - Folkestone and Hythe)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the oral contribution of the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Home Department of 22 January 2025, Official Report, column 414WH, how many displaced international care workers whose sponsor’s licence had not been revoked have been supported by regional partnerships since they were established.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
In 2024/25, £16 million has been made available through the adult social care international recruitment fund for 15 regional and sub-regional partnerships to prevent and respond to exploitative practices of internationally recruited care staff. Between July 2024 and February 2025, approximately 8,800 people have contacted the regional partnerships for support. To date, approximately 550 of these individuals have been supported into new employment, according to self-reported data provided by the regional partnerships. This data has not been independently verified by the Department or UK Visas and Immigration. We do not hold data on the number of care workers supported into new employment whose sponsor has not had their licence revoked.
A primary aim of the 2024/25 fund is to facilitate in-country matching of overseas recruits who have been displaced by unethical practices or by their employer’s sponsorship licence being revoked. However, in some instances, regions are also providing support to care workers not impacted by sponsor licence revocation. To support regional partnerships, we have published guidance on implementing the aims of the fund, which is available at the following link:
We have commissioned the National Institute for Health and Care Research’s Policy Research Unit in Health and Social Care Workforce to undertake an independent evaluation of the 2024/25 international recruitment regional fund. We expect the final report of this evaluation to be published by King's College London in 2026.
Asked by: Tony Vaughan (Labour - Folkestone and Hythe)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the oral contribution by the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Home Department on 22 January 2025, Official Report, column 414WH, what guidance his Department has provided to regional partnerships for supporting international care workers on ensuring they offer assistance to all care workers.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
In 2024/25, £16 million has been made available through the adult social care international recruitment fund for 15 regional and sub-regional partnerships to prevent and respond to exploitative practices of internationally recruited care staff. Between July 2024 and February 2025, approximately 8,800 people have contacted the regional partnerships for support. To date, approximately 550 of these individuals have been supported into new employment, according to self-reported data provided by the regional partnerships. This data has not been independently verified by the Department or UK Visas and Immigration. We do not hold data on the number of care workers supported into new employment whose sponsor has not had their licence revoked.
A primary aim of the 2024/25 fund is to facilitate in-country matching of overseas recruits who have been displaced by unethical practices or by their employer’s sponsorship licence being revoked. However, in some instances, regions are also providing support to care workers not impacted by sponsor licence revocation. To support regional partnerships, we have published guidance on implementing the aims of the fund, which is available at the following link:
We have commissioned the National Institute for Health and Care Research’s Policy Research Unit in Health and Social Care Workforce to undertake an independent evaluation of the 2024/25 international recruitment regional fund. We expect the final report of this evaluation to be published by King's College London in 2026.
Asked by: Tony Vaughan (Labour - Folkestone and Hythe)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the regional partnerships financed by the international recruitment fund for the adult social care sector; whether he plans to publish an evaluation of the project.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
In 2024/25, £16 million has been made available through the adult social care international recruitment fund for 15 regional and sub-regional partnerships to prevent and respond to exploitative practices of internationally recruited care staff. Between July 2024 and February 2025, approximately 8,800 people have contacted the regional partnerships for support. To date, approximately 550 of these individuals have been supported into new employment, according to self-reported data provided by the regional partnerships. This data has not been independently verified by the Department or UK Visas and Immigration. We do not hold data on the number of care workers supported into new employment whose sponsor has not had their licence revoked.
A primary aim of the 2024/25 fund is to facilitate in-country matching of overseas recruits who have been displaced by unethical practices or by their employer’s sponsorship licence being revoked. However, in some instances, regions are also providing support to care workers not impacted by sponsor licence revocation. To support regional partnerships, we have published guidance on implementing the aims of the fund, which is available at the following link:
We have commissioned the National Institute for Health and Care Research’s Policy Research Unit in Health and Social Care Workforce to undertake an independent evaluation of the 2024/25 international recruitment regional fund. We expect the final report of this evaluation to be published by King's College London in 2026.
Asked by: Tony Vaughan (Labour - Folkestone and Hythe)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many international social care workers have (a) had contact with the regional partnerships financed by the international recruitment fund for the adult social care sector and (b) been assisted into new employment by those partnerships.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
In 2024/25, £16 million has been made available through the adult social care international recruitment fund for 15 regional and sub-regional partnerships to prevent and respond to exploitative practices of internationally recruited care staff. Between July 2024 and February 2025, approximately 8,800 people have contacted the regional partnerships for support. To date, approximately 550 of these individuals have been supported into new employment, according to self-reported data provided by the regional partnerships. This data has not been independently verified by the Department or UK Visas and Immigration. We do not hold data on the number of care workers supported into new employment whose sponsor has not had their licence revoked.
A primary aim of the 2024/25 fund is to facilitate in-country matching of overseas recruits who have been displaced by unethical practices or by their employer’s sponsorship licence being revoked. However, in some instances, regions are also providing support to care workers not impacted by sponsor licence revocation. To support regional partnerships, we have published guidance on implementing the aims of the fund, which is available at the following link:
We have commissioned the National Institute for Health and Care Research’s Policy Research Unit in Health and Social Care Workforce to undertake an independent evaluation of the 2024/25 international recruitment regional fund. We expect the final report of this evaluation to be published by King's College London in 2026.
Asked by: Tony Vaughan (Labour - Folkestone and Hythe)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that disability related expenditure assessments are being undertaken by local authorities.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Where local authorities decide to charge for the provision of care and support, they must follow the Care and Support Statutory Guidance, which is available at the following link:
This guidance sets out that, where disability-related benefits are taken into account during a financial assessment, the local authority should make an assessment and allow the person to keep enough of their benefit payments to pay for necessary disability-related expenditure, to meet any needs which are not being met by the local authority.
Asked by: Tony Vaughan (Labour - Folkestone and Hythe)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of no longer recognising EAA dental certificates on the number of dentists in the UK.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Current arrangements under the provisions in the EU Exit Regulations, known as the ‘standstill’ provisions, ensure that United Kingdom healthcare regulators, including the General Dental Council (GDC), who register domestic and international dentists, continue to automatically recognise relevant European Economic Area (EEA) and Swiss healthcare qualifications. In addition, qualifications from countries in the European Free Trade Association and Switzerland are recognised under trade agreements made with those nations. This means dentists with recognised qualifications from EEA countries and Switzerland can continue to practise in the United Kingdom without the need to sit additional professional exams or undergo further assessment by the GDC.
Asked by: Tony Vaughan (Labour - Folkestone and Hythe)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what proportion of the emergency dental appointments to be purchased by Kent & Medway ICB will be provided to dental clinics in Folkestone and Hythe constituency.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Data is not held on what proportion of the emergency dental appointments will be provided at constituency level. Kent and Medway Integrated Care Board, which includes Folkestone and Hythe constituency, is expected to deliver 20,319 additional urgent dental appointments.
The urgent appointments will be available to National Health Service patients experiencing painful oral health issues, such as infections, abscesses, or cracked or broken teeth. Patients can contact their usual dental practice or call NHS 111 if they don’t have a regular dentist or need help out-of-hours.
Asked by: Tony Vaughan (Labour - Folkestone and Hythe)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to reform the NHS Dental Contract.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
To rebuild dentistry in the long term, we will reform the dental contract with the sector, with a shift to focus on prevention and the retention of National Health Service dentists.
There are no perfect payment systems and careful consideration needs to be given to any potential changes to the complex dental system so that we deliver a system better for patients and the profession.
We are continuing to meet the British Dental Association and other representatives of the dental sector to discuss how we can best deliver our shared ambition to improve access for NHS dental patients.
Asked by: Tony Vaughan (Labour - Folkestone and Hythe)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions his Department has had with the British Dental Association and other representatives on reform of the NHS Dental Contract.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Ministers meet regularly with external stakeholders on a variety of topics, including but not limited to dentistry. Details of ministerial meetings are published quarterly in arrears on GOV.UK.
We are continuing to meet the British Dental Association and other representatives of the dental sector to discuss how we can best deliver our shared ambition to improve access for National Health Service dental patients.
To rebuild dentistry in the long term, we will reform the dental contract with the sector, with a shift to focus on prevention and the retention of NHS dentists.
Asked by: Tony Vaughan (Labour - Folkestone and Hythe)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what proportion of the additional NHS capital investment announced in the Autumn Budget 2024 will be allocated to establishing (a) mobile diagnostic hubs and (b) new health centres.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
£1.65 billion of additional capital funding has been allocated in the budget for 2025/26 to support National Health Service performance across secondary and emergency care. This investment includes funding for new surgical hubs and diagnostic scanners to build capacity for over 30,000 additional procedures and over 1.25 million diagnostic tests as they come online; new beds across the estate to create more treatment space in emergency departments, reduce waiting times, and help shift more care into the community; and £70 million to invest in new radiotherapy machines to improve cancer treatment.
As detailed in the 2025/26 capital guidance, published on 30 January 2025, NHS England has also provided systems with their operational capital envelopes. These allocations are managed locally, with systems prioritising investments in line with their clinical and operational needs. As part of the £1.65 billion of funding, some targeted national programme funding is also available for strategic priorities such as the expansion of community diagnostic centres and the improvement of cancer treatment capacity.
The Department is working with NHS England to finalise the composition of investment across individual schemes that will best support NHS performance, including the completion of business cases. To support this, NHS England is working with local NHS systems to identify the most appropriate locations for investment. Further information will be shared shortly.
Future capital investment beyond 2025/26 will be considered as part of the next Spending Review.