Nurses: EU Nationals

Health written question – answered at on 25 October 2010.

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Photo of Philip Davies Philip Davies Conservative, Shipley

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what procedures his Department follows to establish whether nurses and midwives from other EU member states have sufficient English language skills to practise in England.

Photo of Anne Milton Anne Milton The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Health

The Department has no direct role in establishing whether nurses and midwives from other European Union member states have sufficient language skills to practise in England.

Under the recognition procedures provided for by Directive 2005/36/EC the Nursing and Midwifery Council (as the competent authority for nurses and midwives in the United Kingdom) is required to check that professionals from the European economic area applying for inclusion on its register hold a recognised qualification listed in the directive or that the qualification they hold meets the minimum standard they set.

Post registration it is for employers and contracting bodies to ensure that any nurses or midwives they employ or contract with have the necessary skills and competencies (including language competence) for the job.

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