Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate he has made of the amount of non-ordinarily resident upfront charges collected in each of the last five years; and what amount is expected to be collected in each of the next five years.

National Health Service trusts and foundation trusts in England all already have a statutory responsibility to make and recover charges from patients who are not ordinarily resident in the United Kingdom and are chargeable for their healthcare.

Upfront charging of overseas visitors for non-urgent or immediately necessary care has been recommended best practice by the Department for several years, including in published national charging guidance.

The published impact assessment estimates a £9 million income for 2017/18 and £23 million for each subsequent year from mandating upfront charging. It is also estimated than an extra income of £9 million for 2017/18 and £21 million for each subsequent year would be identified due to increased compliance since amendments to the charging regulations were made. We expect these incomes to be identified on top of the currently identified income from visitors and migrants, which in 2016/17 amounted to £81 million.

The Department does not have estimates for each of the last five years on the number of upfront charges collected for non-ordinarily residents.