Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of the Medical Training (Prioritisation) Bill on British citizens who have already commenced undergraduate medical degrees overseas on the understanding that they would be able to return to the UK to complete their Foundation Programme; and what plans he has to implement transitional protections and assurances to safeguard their training prospects and future careers in the NHS.

Subject to the parliamentary passage of the bill, British citizens who have graduated from medical schools outside of the United Kingdom will not be prioritised for foundation training places if they spent the majority of their time studying outside the British Islands.

The Government does not plan to implement transitional protections or assurances in relation to these applicants. Prioritisation does not mean exclusion. Non-prioritised graduates will still be able to apply for foundation training places, and they will be offered places if vacancies remain after prioritised applicants have received offers.