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<p>Health Education England is the NHS body responsible for planning and commissioning
training places for medical and non-medical NHS staff. Health Education England do
not accept that the £35,000 income requirement will lead to a skills shortage in junior
doctors and their current workforce plan for medical training commissions forecasts
an increase of over 11,000 consultants and doctors by 2020.</p><p> </p><p>Applicants
that have been granted Tier 2 visas enabling them to take on work or training within
the UK cannot apply for settlement (Indefinite Leave to Remain) until they have been
resident for 5 years. Whilst it is recognised that basic starting salaries for junior
doctors may be below the £35,000 threshold, junior doctors also receive salary allowances.
By the end of the 5 year period most will have progressed sufficiently and are likely
to be above the required threshold, ensuring that only the brightest and best may
apply to settle.</p><p>In respect of teaching positions, secondary education teachers
from non EEA countries in the subjects of maths, chemistry and physics are on the
shortage occupation list and thus are exempt from the £35,000 threshold.</p><p> </p><p>At
a national level we are retaining and recruiting the teachers we need to deliver educational
excellence everywhere. We have more teachers in our schools than ever before and the
number of teachers has kept pace with changing numbers of pupils. There are more than
450,000 teachers in schools throughout England – up more than 13,000 since 2010. We
recognise, however, that the strengthening economy and growth in pupil numbers make
the situation more challenging and that this is more acute in certain subjects and
particular schools or areas of the country.</p><p> </p><p>That is why; we have expanded
schemes like Teach First and let schools take the lead in training the next generation
of teachers; we are investing over £1.3 billion up to 2020 to attract new teachers
into the profession and we continue to offer generous bursaries of up to £30,000 tax
free in priority subjects.</p><p> </p><p>Last year we announced a £67 million investment
in STEM teaching in England to recruit up to 2,500 additional maths and physics teachers
over the next 5 years as well as providing subject knowledge training in maths and
physics to 15,000 non-specialist serving teachers.</p><p> </p>
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