§ Mr. BurstowTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of whether medical training in the accession states conforms to the minimum EU requirements. [156297]
§ Mr. HuttonAll accession states are committed to ensuring that the qualifications they award to doctors who began their training on or after the date of accession meet specified minimum European Community requirements. Their holders can then benefit from automatic recognition throughout the EC. Practitioners from these states who are already qualified or are currently in training must show that they either meet these requirements in full or have recent and substantial practice experience.
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§ Mr. BaronTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate has been made of the number of(a) nurses and (b) midwives from accession countries who will seek to work in the United Kingdom following accession. [156861]
§ Mr. Hutton [holding answer 27 February 2004]No estimate has been made.
The Nursing and Midwifery Council will, in due course, will have statistics about the numbers of nurses and midwives from accession countries who join its register.
§ Mr. BaronTo ask the Secretary of State for Health whether(a) nurses and (b) midwives from EU accession countries would currently be able to work in the United Kingdom using qualifications from their home country if they were given permission to seek work in the UK. [156863]
§ Mr. Hutton [holding answer 27 February 2004]Relevantly qualified practitioners from the accession states will be able to work in the United Kingdom after accession.
All nationals from the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia who find work in the United Kingdom will be required to register with the Home Office under the new Worker Registration Scheme as soon as they find work.