The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Health and Social Care (Baroness Merron) (Lab)

My Lords, NHS staff told us through the 10-year health plan engagement that they were crying out for change. This Bill is but one step in delivering that change. It will ensure a more sustainable and resilient medical workforce. It will ensure that we make the best use of the substantial taxpayer investment in medical training, and it will give our homegrown talent a clear path to becoming the next generation of NHS doctors. The issue of bottlenecks for postgraduate medical training has been growing since the removal of the resident labour market test in 2020. I am most grateful to Parliament for expediting the passage of the Bill to tackle this problem, while giving it the careful scrutiny it deserves. I express my gratitude to noble Lords across the House for their constructive engagement throughout its passage. I wish to thank and credit noble Lords for passing the Bill unamended. My thanks are also due to officials and leaders from the devolved Governments for their support and commitment to ensuring we have a process that works for all of the United Kingdom, and for their determination to ensure that all legislative requirements were met within what was, and is, a challenging timeframe. I thank my officials in the department, as well as our lawyers, for their tireless work over these past few months. We are clear that this Bill does not and cannot resolve all the workforce issues within our National Health Service. It sits alongside a range of action that the Government are taking to ensure that the NHS has the right people in the right places, with the right skills to care for people when they need it. The changes that the Bill introduces for foundation specialty training are a crucial step forward and will lead to a more sustainable medical workforce that can meet the health needs of our population. I again thank all noble Lords who contributed their knowledge and insight during the Bill’s consideration. I beg to move.