Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what discussions he has had with his cabinet colleagues on the effect of abolishing nursing bursaries on domestic student numbers.

To introduce health education funding reforms effective from 1 August 2017 for new pre-registration nursing, midwifery and allied health students, the Department sought, and received, the required cross-government Home Affairs Cabinet Committee approval to its public consultation and draft equality and economic impact assessments published on 8 April 2016. It received subsequent approval for its government response and refreshed impact assessments, published 21 July 2016.

From 1 August 2017, student nurse training will be funded through student loans enabling universities to increase training places significantly – offering up to 10,000 more nursing, midwifery and allied health training places over this parliament, so more applicants will have the chance to become a health professional.