AQW 43030/22-27

Mr Gerry Carroll
People Before Profit Alliance
West Belfast

Tabled Date: 24/03/2026
Answered On Date: 13/04/2026
Priority Written: No

Question:
To ask the Minister of Health to detail the implications of Westminster’s Medical Training (Prioritisation) Bill for the North.

Answer:

The Medical Training (Prioritisation) Act received Royal Assent on 5 March 2026. The Act introduces a UK-wide duty on all providers of medical training to prioritise applications from UK or RoI medical schools. The policy aim of the Bill is to ensure that there is an employment pathway for UK and RoI graduates into UK medical training programmes.

The Act aims to implement the UK government’s commitment to prioritise UK medical graduates for foundation training places and specialty training places. Doctors outside of this group, but with significant NHS/HSC experience will also be prioritised for specialty training places. Graduates from medical schools in the Republic of Ireland will receive the same prioritisation as those from UK institutions.

This Act will ensure UK-wide consistency and will enhance career pathways for UK and RoI medical graduates, protect UK-wide recruitment practices, and ensure medical foundation places are sufficient for the output of all local Higher Education Institutions. It will also ensure a more sustainable medical workforce that can meet the health needs of the population, will mean we are less reliant on an unpredictable labour market and can make best use of the substantial taxpayer investment in medical training. It will reduce competition for places and give homegrown talent a clear path to become the next generation of HSC doctors.