Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what records his Department holds on the number of women who have been deterred from seeking NHS maternity care as a result of charging under the National Health Service (Charges to Overseas Visitors) Regulations 2015, as amended.

The Department does not hold data on the number of women who have been deterred from seeking National Health Service maternity care.

National guidance is clear that NHS maternity treatment should always be considered as immediately necessary and provided to all patients regardless of whether or not they are entitled to receive it free of charge or there are doubts about whether they could pay if subsequently found to be chargeable under the National Health Service (Charges to Overseas Visitors) Regulations 2015, as amended.