§ Mr. BurstowTo ask the Secretary of State for Health with which countries other than the Philippines, Spain, India and Indonesia his Department is holding discussions to develop bilateral agreements on international nurse recruitment. [164289]
§ Mr. HuttonWe have no plans to enter further bilateral agreements on International Recruitment.
Officials from the Department recently met with representatives from the Chinese Embassy to discuss issues of mutual interest and the scope for co-operation without the need for formal agreements.
§ Mr. BurstowTo ask the Secretary of State for Health how many nurses have(a) applied for posts and (b) been recruited through the bilateral agreement with Indonesia. [164290]
§ Mr. HuttonWe do not hold the information centrally as to how many nurses applied for posts through the Memorandum of Understanding with Indonesia. Sixty seven nurses were interviewed and 19 were offered employment.
Four Indonesian nurses have been recruited into the National Health Service through the bilateral agreement.