Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, which people and organisations his Department consulted (a) before and (b) after the announcement of 25 November 2015 to end NHS bursaries for nursing, midwifery and allied health professional students.

As with all policy development to inform decision making the Government received and considered a range of representations from a number of stakeholders before and after the announcement in the Spending Review, 25 November 2015.

These representations involved discussions with officials in the Department and from its arm’s length bodies, The Council of Deans of Health and Universities UK, Trade Unions, leading organisations including Royal Colleges, professional bodies and representatives from Universities.