Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the potential effect on the health and social care sector in Northern Ireland of the Government's proposed immigration reforms.

The Government has considered relevant views, evidence, and analysis. We are also working alongside employers across the whole of the UK to ensure the workforce has the right number of people to meet increasing demands and have recently launched a national recruitment campaign.

The Government published “The UK’s Points-Based System: Policy Statement” on 19 February.

To facilitate the migration of skilled workers to support the NHS, we will create a fast-track NHS visa for certain medical professionals with NHS job offers reducing their visa fees and providing support to come to the UK with their families.

Senior care workers who meet the criteria will be able to come to the UK through the points-based system. The Independent Migration Advisory Committee, the MAC has been clear immigration is not the solution to addressing staffing levels in the social care sector.