Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether asylum seekers who arrive in the United Kingdom through official channels or illegally are eligible to receive all NHS services; and if so, what is the level of uptake of these services.

The National Health Service is a residency-based system, which means that people who do not live here on a lawful, settled basis must contribute to the cost of their care. However, some of the most vulnerable people arriving in the United Kingdom, including refugees and asylum seekers, do not pay for NHS treatment.

There are varying entitlements to secondary healthcare services across England and the devolved administrations. Specific examples can be found in the NHS entitlements: migrant health guide on the GOV.UK website, in an online only format. We do not hold information on the level of uptake of these services.