Debate contribution: Medical Training (Prioritisation) Bill: Legislative Consent Motion

Debate contribution by Mr Danny Donnelly on 24 February 2026.

MLA

Mr Danny Donnelly

Party at the time

Alliance Party

Date

24 February 2026

Type

Debate contribution

Business

Executive Committee Business

Heading

Medical Training (Prioritisation) Bill: Legislative Consent Motion

Assembly identifier

Official Report component 5404680

Read the official Assembly record

Text

I note the Minister's apology for the short notice that was given to the Committee and the Committee's disappointment at the lack of time to examine the issue. At its core, the legislation is about workforce sustainability. That is welcome. The Association for the Study of Medical Education identified the core purpose of the legislation as being to:

"Support the development of a sustainable medical workforce ... Reduce reliance on the international labour market ... Maximise the return on taxpayer investment in medical training"

and to

"Help UK medical graduates progress in their careers after qualifying, thereby improving workforce retention".

As we have heard many times in the Chamber and at the Health Committee, Northern Ireland faces persistent workforce pressures across primary care, acute services and specialist disciplines. Competition for medical training places has increased significantly in recent years, creating real uncertainty for many graduates who have trained in Northern Ireland and the UK and who are seeking to move on to the next stage in their careers. The intention of the Bill is to restore balance to the system, reduce bottlenecks and ensure that those who train here have a clear route into long-term careers in our health service. It is right that people who train here should be able to do that. It is equally important, however, to state that internationally trained healthcare staff make an enormous contribution to our health and social care system. They are valued colleagues and essential members of our workforce. The Bill does not exclude those who trained outside the UK from applying for training posts, but the memorandum acknowledges that the demographic composition of the workforce may change over time. That means that it is essential that implementation is transparent and subject to proper monitoring. That need was highlighted at the Health Committee meeting, and I ask the Minister to speak a bit more to how that monitoring will be achieved. Any reform to training pathways must strike a careful balance between supporting domestic graduates to promote workforce sustainability and maintaining the openness and diversity that has characterised our health workforce for decades. We should be honest about the fact that prioritisation alone will not resolve the issue of workforce shortages. Mrs Dodds mentioned the safe staffing Bill. I am keen to see progress on that. Training capacity, supervision, retention and working conditions all matter, and, if those core aspects do not improve, frustrations will remain. They will just be at a different point in the system. This legislation is one part of addressing a wider workforce challenge, but it is a welcome and needed step towards addressing the workforce challenge, and we will support it.

444 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.

Assessment

Not flagged

Jev’s structured answers

Assessed 21 October 2026 at 15:03 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.

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