Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the planned additional expenditure related to reciprocal healthcare arrangements provided for in his Department's Supplementary Estimate 2017-18, how much such additional expenditure there has been in 2017-18 to date.
The initial spending plan for reciprocal healthcare included in the 2017-18 Main Estimate was £630 million. At the 2017-18 Supplementary Estimate the expected full-year expenditure had increased during the financial year to £897 million, resulting in additional revenue funding of £267 million being agreed with HM Treasury. At month nine (December) expenditure incurred to date was estimated at £727 million.
The additional £267 million of funding was to cover additional expenditure due to a weaker sterling, increased numbers of pensioners abroad and higher than anticipated costs of healthcare in the European Economic Area and Switzerland.