Foreign Nurse Recruitment (Hansard, 25 November 2002)

§ Mr. Burstow
To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many agencies have been brought to the attention of his Department by work force development confederations for failure to adhere to the ethical foreign nurse recruitment policy. [82963]

§ Mr. Hutton
Work force development confederations have reported three cases since the code of practice was established.

§ Mr. Letwin
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what reimbursement and relocation expenses are paid to nurses recruited to the NHS from countries other than the UK. [82576]

§ Mr. Hutton
In 1999, the Department published a document, "Guidance in International Nursing Recruitment". The document clearly outlines the responsibilities of trusts in the payment of reimbursement and relocation expenses.
It is the responsibility of national health service employers to pay for recruits' airfares to ensure they are met on arrival in the United Kingdom. The document stipulates that NHS employers must make sure that appropriate accommodation is available for the recruit before they arrive in the country.
There is a General Whitley Council (GWC) agreement on removal expenses: section 26 of the GWC Handbook, which is essentially an enabling agreement insofar as it gives the employer discretion about how much removal expenses are payable and to whom.