Undergraduate Medical Degree Courses: Non-UK Citizens (Hansard, 16 November 2004)

§ Lord Warner

The Government do not issue any guidance on the admission of non-United Kingdom citizens to undergraduate medical degree courses. All aspects of selection and admission to higher education institutions are the responsibility of individual higher education institutions and medical schools.

The Department of Health supports the Council of Heads of Medical Schools' 1999 statement of nine "Guiding Principles for the Admission of Medical Students" which it commends to medical schools to ensure good practice in equal opportunities throughout all the UK's medical schools.

152WA

In July 1998 the Government accepted the recommendations of the third report of the Medical Workforce Standing Advisory Committee, one of which was that "While the intake of medical students is being increased by 1,000, the number of undergraduate medical students from overseas should be held constant". Higher education institutions in England were reminded of this recommendation when they were invited, in January 1999 and September 2000, to submit proposals to provide extra medical school places by the Higher Education Funding Council for England and Department of Health. The allocations of extra places announced between 1999 and 2001, including those to the four new medical schools, made no provision for any increase in the number of overseas students to be admitted in England.