Mabon ap Gwynfor, MS, Cabinet Minister for Health and Care
Members of the Senedd will wish to be aware that I have given consent to the UK Government to make regulations under the Medical Training (Prioritisation) Act 2026 relating to specialty medical training recruitment for the 2027 recruitment round. Consent has also been provided by the Scottish and Northern Ireland Governments.
The regulations are being made under powers contained in the Medical Training (Prioritisation) Act 2026 and will apply on a UK-wide basis. The regulations will continue, for a further 12-month period, the interim arrangements used for the 2026 recruitment round whilst further policy development, evidence gathering, equality analysis and legal assessment are undertaken across the four nations.
These regulations do not alter the powers of Welsh Ministers under the Act. Welsh Ministers retain the ability to make regulations in relation to Wales in future and to determine the longer-term approach that is most appropriate for Wales.
Overview of the Regulations
The Medical Training (Prioritisation) Act 2026 established a statutory framework for prioritising applicants to postgraduate medical training programmes where places are oversubscribed. The Act also provides powers for additional categories of applicants to be prioritised through regulations.
For the 2026 recruitment round, immigration status was used as an interim proxy to support implementation of the Act whilst evidence gathering, and stakeholder engagement were undertaken to inform a longer-term approach. Analysis of the evidence received has identified a number of complex policy, operational, legal and equality considerations that require further work before a permanent approach can be determined.
The regulations will therefore maintain the existing interim arrangements for the 2027 recruitment round. This will provide stability and certainty for applicants, employers, training bodies and administrators whilst further work is completed.
Why consent was given
The Welsh Government's general principle is that the Senedd Cymru as Wales’s national legislature should make law on matters within legislative competence and executive powers in devolved areas should be exercised by the Welsh Ministers. However, there may be circumstances where it is in the interests of Wales for UK legislation to make provision in devolved areas with the appropriate consent and devolution safeguards. On this occasion I concluded that it is appropriate to consent to a UK-wide approach.
Recruitment to specialty medical training programmes is delivered through a centrally administered UK-wide recruitment system on behalf of all four nations. Maintaining a consistent approach for the 2027 recruitment round will support the effective operation of that system and provide clarity for applicants and employers.
The timescales associated with the 2027 recruitment round mean there is insufficient time to develop, assess and implement a distinct Welsh approach before recruitment opens. The interim arrangements are also based on immigration status, which is not a devolved matter and is administered on a UK-wide basis.
A time-limited UK-wide approach will therefore provide continuity for recruitment whilst allowing further work to be undertaken on key issues, including the treatment of less than full-time working, statutory leave, experience gained in NHS-related settings, equality impacts and wider workforce implications.
This approach allows additional evidence gathering, impact assessment and policy development to take place before decisions are made on longer-term arrangements. It also ensures Wales retains flexibility to determine its future policy position once that work has been completed and the implications have been fully considered.
I am satisfied that consenting to these regulations is in the best interests of Wales and provides the most proportionate and practical approach for the 2027 recruitment round whilst further policy development is undertaken.