Vol. 791 Tuesday No. 151 12 June 2018 PARLIAMENTARYDEBATES (HANSARD) HOUSE OF LORDS OFFICIAL REPORT ORDEROFBUSINESS Questions NHS: Overseas Doctors ...............................................................................................1573 Carers: Health and Wellbeing.......................................................................................1575 BBC Persian Staff.........................................................................................................1578 Burma...........................................................................................................................1580 Communications Committee Constitution Committee European Union Committee Joint Committee on Human Rights Regenerating Seaside Towns and Communities Committee Services Committee Membership Motions.....................................................................................................1583 International Relations Committee Membership Motion ......................................................................................................1584 Civil Liability Bill [HL] Report ...........................................................................................................................1588 Immigration and Nationality (Fees) Regulations 2018 Motion to Regret...........................................................................................................1654 Civil Liability Bill [HL] Report (Continued)......................................................................................................1679 Lords wishing to be supplied with these Daily Reports should give notice to this effect to the Printed Paper Office. 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This issue of the Official Report is also available on the Internet at https://hansard.parliament.uk/lords/2018-06-12 The first time a Member speaks to a new piece of parliamentary business, the following abbreviations are used to show their party affiliation: Abbreviation Party/Group CB Cross Bench Con Conservative DUP Democratic Unionist Party GP Green Party Ind Lab Independent Labour Ind LD Independent Liberal Democrat Ind SD Independent Social Democrat Ind UU Independent Ulster Unionist Lab Labour LD Liberal Democrat LD Ind Liberal Democrat Independent Non-afl Non-affiliated PC Plaid Cymru UKIP UK Independence Party UUP Ulster Unionist Party No party affiliation is given for Members serving the House in a formal capacity, the Lords spiritual, Members on leave of absence or Members who are otherwise disqualified from sitting in the House. © Parliamentary Copyright House of Lords 2018, this publication may be reproduced under the terms of the Open Parliament licence, which is published at www.parliament.uk/site-information/copyright/. 1573 NHS: Overseas Doctors [12 JUNE 2018] NHS: Overseas Doctors 1574 House of Lords undergraduates will begin medical training by 2020, with 1,500 new funded places and five new medical Tuesday 12 June 2018 schools— 2.30 pm Noble Lords: Oh! Prayers—read by the Lord Bishop of Derby. The Earl of Courtown: Noble Lords may jest, but this is a very serious matter. The fact is that where the NHS: Overseas Doctors Migration Advisory Committee has recognised that Question there has been a shortage in the UK, visas are given priority on the SOL, and no one in these specialisms 2.36 pm has been refused a visa. Asked by Baroness Hayman To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans Baroness Redfern (Con): My Lords, while adding they have to review the Tier 2 visa system to ensure child and adolescent psychiatrists to the shortage that overseas doctors recruited by the National occupation list, as the Government have done with the Health Service are able to take up their positions. other health specialties, does my noble friend agree that any removal of the tier 2 visa cap should apply to Baroness Hayman (CB): I beg leave to ask the all health professionals in both physical and mental Question standing in my name on the Order Paper, health specialisms, in accordance with the principle of and remind the House of my interest as a member of parity of esteem? the General Medical Council. The Earl of Courtown: My Lords, my noble friend The Earl of Courtown (Con): My Lords, the mentions mental health issues, and as she will be Government are committed to keeping the operation aware, Her Majesty’s Government have published a of the immigration system under review to ensure that Green Paper setting out proposals to transform mental it operates in the national interest. As my right honourable health provision for children. As for shortages, these friend the Home Secretary has indicated, we are looking factors are taken into account when different specialist urgently at this issue. areas are put on the shortage occupation list. Baroness Hayman: I thank the Minister for that Baroness Walmsley (LD): My Lords, is it not true reply, but I have to say that I am disappointed. Although that the current situation is quite deliberate? The the word “urgency” was used, we have not seen a great Conservative Party manifesto last year promised to deal of urgency in action. Does he not agree that it is double the cost of employing someone from outside ludicrous and, frankly, shameful that patient care in the EEA. The head of business immigration at law this country is being compromised every day by the firm Kingsley Napley believes that the cost of employing shortage of doctors and yet, every day, doctors from much-needed staff from other parts of the world will overseas recruited to positions in the NHS are being be £14,174 a year more than employing EU staff. So, turned away and refused visas by the Home Office? as EU staff leave the NHS in the face of Brexit, how Yesterday, we learned that 2,360 such doctors have will the Government’s proposals help NHS budgets, been refused visas. We learned that through a Freedom even if it can get visas for the staff it desperately of Information request, not in response to my Question needs? four weeks ago, when the Minister at the Dispatch Box did not give me the numbers. That is in the past six The Earl of Courtown: My Lords, I do not recognise months. Is it not time that the Government took the noble Baroness’s figures but as she and the House urgent action and ended this damaging and dogmatic will be aware, the quotas have been exceeded and a policy? large increase in the number of doctors from outside the EEA have been applying to come to this country. The Earl of Courtown: My Lords, the noble Baroness These are highly qualified doctors who do an excellent is quite right: this issue needs to be looked at seriously. job. That is why my right honourable friends the Home Secretary and the Prime Minister have been discussing Lord Kennedy of Southwark (Lab Co-op): My Lords, it. As I said, progress will be made in the very near why will the Government not urgently announce that future. where there are job shortages, such applicants will be exempt from this rule? To stall repeatedly on this issue Lord Clark of Windermere (Lab): My Lords, given is a serious error of judgment and directly damages that we are tens of thousands of doctors short, will the patient care. How does the noble Earl reconcile that Minister explain to the House and, through this House position with working in the national interest, as he to the British people, why the Government are prepared said in his first response to the Question? to put the British people’s health at risk by refusing thousands upon thousands of doctors who have been The Earl of Courtown: My Lords, the noble Lord recruited the right to come into this country? accuses Her Majesty’s Government of stalling on this issue; we are not stalling. It is being taken extremely The Earl of Courtown: My Lords, as the noble Lord seriously, as I said, by my right honourable friends the will be aware, we have made it a priority to increase Home Secretary and the Prime Minister, and we will doctor numbers in this country. A record number of hear news on it shortly. 1575 NHS: Overseas Doctors [LORDS] Carers: Health and Well-being 1576 Lord Patel (CB): My Lords, can we first agree that Baroness Pitkeathley (Lab): I beg leave to ask the the doctors coming out of the new medical schools Question standing in my name on the Order Paper. In that are planned will not be available for service for at doing so, I draw attention to my interests in the register. least eight to 10 years? Having accepted that, can we find a solution to the visa cap that has been put on TheParliamentaryUnder-Secretaryof State,Department doctors? One solution might be to include them in the of Health and Social Care (Lord O’Shaughnessy) (Con): same category as those who do not qualify for the My Lords, the Government recognise and value the cap—those earning more than £159,600. That would work that carers do and are committed to supporting not in any way jeopardise the Conservative manifesto carerssothattheycanprovidecarewithoutcompromising or other plans. It would just shift a category and their own health and well-being. That is why, on 5 June, therefore remove them from the cap. my department published a carers action plan, setting out a cross-government programme of support