Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 14 November to Question 80951 on Nepal: Migrant Workers, whether the Government plans to continue to recruit health workers from nations classified as red list by the World Health Organisation.

International recruitment in England is guided by the Code of Practice for the International Recruitment of Health and Social Care Personnel. The Code states that active international recruitment from the 47 countries on the World Health Organization’s Health Workforce Support and Safeguards list should not take place, except where a Government-to-Government agreement is in place. Of countries on this list, the United Kingdom currently has a Government-to-Government agreement on the recruitment of healthcare workers with Nepal.

However, the Code acknowledges an individual’s right to migrate and individuals from countries on this list can make direct applications for vacancies in the UK health and social care sectors of their own accord.