Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department is taking steps to help prevent international dentists entering the UK on NHS-sponsored Health and Care Visas leaving the NHS for private practice.

The immigration system will allow those who meet the visa requirements, such as having a job offer from an approved sponsor and being paid the appropriate salary, to come to the United Kingdom to be dentists. It does not differentiate between those who wish to provide National Health Service dentistry from those who may wish to work in private practice.