Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of the planned replacement of student bursaries by loans, how many nurse placements will be funded by Health Education England in 2017–18.

It is not possible to determine these numbers at this stage as these will be based on the Health Education England (HEE) workforce plan, which is completed annually ahead of each student intake. HEE will continue to have a key leading role in the commissioning of nursing, midwifery and allied health courses. It will continue to provide sufficient clinical placement funding for those places needed to meet the workforce planning needs of the National Health Service.