Asked by: Stephen Timms (Labour - East Ham)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the answer of 29 April 2021 to Question 187268 on Immigration: EU Nationals, which of the following bodies have the capability to conduct system to system checks of immigration status: (a) NHS Scotland, (b) Health and Social Care (HSC) in Northern Ireland, (c) the Department for Communities in Northern Ireland, (d) the Northern Ireland Housing Executive and v(e) local authorities in England, Wales and Scotland.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
The Department for Communities in Northern Ireland (d) and Local Authorities in England, Wales and Scotland (e) administering benefits on behalf of the Department for Work and Pensions are able to conduct system to system checks. The process was established as part of the deployment of an Application Programming Interface (API) to the Department for Work and Pensions.
NHS Scotland (a), Health and Social Care (HSC) in Northern Ireland (b) and the Northern Ireland Housing Executive (e) do not have the capability to conduct system to system checks.
Work is underway to expand the Recourse to Public Funds API to Local Authorities who are members of the No Recourse to Public Funds (NRPF) Connect network.
We would be pleased to work with any government department, agency or public body to implement similar checking services to support their statutory duties. Those organisations who do not wish to establish APIs will be able to use the Home Office’s online status services to confirm an EU national’s immigration status.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of Durham (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether EU nationals living in the UK before 31 December 2020 and who go on to be granted settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme will be liable for chargeable healthcare as set out in NHS Charging Regulations guidance or whether they are entitled to free healthcare.
Answered by Lord Bethell
Citizens of a European Union country, Iceland, Norway, Liechtenstein and Switzerland and their family members who were lawfully residing in the United Kingdom by 31 December 2020 will keep their right to healthcare on the same basis as UK residents, as long as they meet the ordinary residence test. From 1 July 2021, they must have been granted settled or pre-settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme (EUSS). These rights will be subject to any future domestic policy changes which apply to UK nationals.
An individual that has made an application to the EUSS will be considered non-chargeable from the date of their application until an outcome is determined by the Home Office. An individual who is eligible to apply to the EUSS but who has not submitted an application by 30 June 2021 will be chargeable. If they receive and pay for relevant services and then later make a late application which is granted, they will not be refunded for the earlier treatment.
Asked by: Tim Farron (Liberal Democrat - Westmorland and Lonsdale)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether EU nationals living in the UK before 31 December 2020, who go on to be granted status under the EU Settlement Scheme, will be (a) liable for chargeable healthcare as set out in NHS Charging Regulations Guidance or (b) entitled to free healthcare.
Answered by Edward Argar - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
Citizens of a European Union country, and their family members who were lawfully residing in the United Kingdom by 31 December 2020 will keep their right to healthcare on the same basis as UK residents, as long as they meet the ordinary residence test. From 1 July 2021, they must have been granted settled or pre-settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme (EUSS).
An individual who is eligible to apply to the EUSS but who has not submitted an application by 30 June 2021 will be chargeable. If they receive and pay for relevant services, and then later make a late application which is granted, they will not be refunded for the earlier treatment.
Asked by: Neil Coyle (Labour - Bermondsey and Old Southwark)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that EU nationals living in the UK and working in health and social care will have secured their EU settled status by the 1 July 2021.
Answered by Kevin Foster
As of 30 April 2021, 5.4 million applications had been received to the EU Settlement Scheme (EUSS), and 4.9 million grants of status have been made, delivering on the government’s promise to secure the rights of millions of Europeans in UK law for years to come.
A comprehensive range of communications activity has been delivered to date to increase awareness of the EUSS across sectors and audience demographics including EEA and Swiss national key workers and those working in the health and social care sectors.
Communications activity includes extensive engagement with a wide range of stakeholders, and, since 2019, nearly £8million spent on targeted UK advertising on social media, website banners, catch up TV and radio, to ensure EEA and Swiss citizens are aware of the scheme and supported to apply. The latest £1.95million burst launched in May and will run to the end of June.
The Home Office has provided up to £22million in grant funding to a current network of 72 organisations providing bespoke support to vulnerable and hard to reach EU citizens and their family members eligible to apply to EUSS.
Workers in the social care sector were given early access under the pilot phases of the scheme. Communications to reach eligible health & social care workers via their employer have been ongoing since the scheme’s launch with hundreds of engagement events delivered alongside the provision of an employer toolkit, equipping organisations with the information required to support their staff.
This has included a bespoke event for NHS employers, and with a number regional strategic migration and enterprise partnerships. NHS employers, Scottish Social services and Wales Social care also sit on EUSS advisory groups. We have recently worked with DHSC to develop an internal update for NHS staff, and with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) to include an update on EUSS in their bulletin to care sector employers.
We continue to work closely with the Department for Health and Social Care, and Local Authorities to provide support and materials to eligible individuals in the sector.
Asked by: Paul Blomfield (Labour - Sheffield Central)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps EU citizens with Settled Status or non-EU family members with Settled Status should take to evidence that status and the date on which it was received; and what steps EU citizens with Settled Status or non-EU family members who have applied for Settled Status but not yet received it should take to evidence the date of their application to the EU Settlement Scheme upon receiving NHS treatment or care.
Answered by Edward Argar - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
European Union citizens and non-EU family members that have applied to the EU Settlement Scheme (EUSS) can provide their Certificate of Application as evidence of this when accessing National Health Service treatment. Those granted EUSS status will be able to provide a share code, through which NHS trusts can establish their immigration status. EU citizens and non-EU family members will still need to meet the ordinarily residence test to be eligible for free healthcare. Primary medical care is free of charge to all overseas visitors. Health services are not withheld from anyone in urgent need.
Asked by: Stephen Farry (Alliance - North Down)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether EU citizens and non-EU family members eligible for the EU Settlement Scheme who do not make an application by the 30 June 2021 deadline will be chargeable for NHS treatment (a) after the deadline until a late application is submitted and (b) after a late application is submitted.
Answered by Edward Argar - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
An individual who is eligible to apply to the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) but who has not submitted an application by 30 June 2021 will be chargeable. If they receive and pay for relevant services and then later make a late application which is granted, they will not be refunded for the earlier treatment.
Where the Home Office accepts a late application to the EUSS and grant a person status under that scheme, the person is non-chargeable from the date on which the late application was made. Primary medical care is free of charge to all overseas visitors. Health services are not withheld from anyone in urgent need.
Asked by: Stephen Farry (Alliance - North Down)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether unpaid NHS charges of over £500 from EU citizens and non-EU family members who do not apply to the EU Settlement Scheme by the 30 June 2021 deadline will be reported to the Home Office; and whether such unpaid fines will affect EU Settlement Scheme application decisions.
Answered by Edward Argar - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
Unpaid National Health Service debts will not affect European Union Settlement Scheme applications.
Asked by: Paul Blomfield (Labour - Sheffield Central)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department plans to issue guidance to NHS trusts on ensuring that care is not withheld from EU citizens and non-EU family members who are eligible for the EU Settlement Scheme but have not made an application (a) before and (b) after the 30 June 2021 deadline.
Answered by Edward Argar - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
The Department has issued detailed guidance to National Health Service trusts, making it clear that EU citizens will need to have lawful status under the EU Settlement Scheme (EUSS) to meet the ordinarily residence test from 1 July 2021. From this date, the Home Office will accept late applications to the EUSS where they accept the person has reasonable grounds. The Department has provided guidance to NHS trusts on the chargeable status of patients who have made a late application. Primary medical care is free of charge to all overseas visitors.
Asked by: Lloyd Russell-Moyle (Labour (Co-op) - Brighton, Kemptown)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to advise British Nationals who are living with HIV and residing in the EU and receiving medication from HIV clinics in the UK that they are required to complete the appropriate paperwork and pay the appropriate fee before customs release that medication.
Answered by Edward Argar - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
The Department for Health and Social Care, in partnership with the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, has been providing United Kingdom nationals with detailed information on how to access healthcare as a resident in the European Union via the ongoing UK Nationals in the EU transition campaign, which has been led by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.
The Department of Health and Social Care is currently working with officials in the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office colleagues to assist several individuals with access to their HIV medication while living in the EU. We recommend, as per our ongoing campaign messaging, UK nationals register correctly for healthcare in the country where they live in order to access their HIV treatment.
The Department cannot comment on customs regulations for EU countries. UK nationals who live in or are visiting the EU are advised to check with the relevant Embassy in the UK if they wish to import medication or have an outstanding issue with medications being held at the border. They will be able to advise individuals of the correct process for having their medication cleared at customs. Those individuals living in the EU will want to confirm their access to these local healthcare services through their local healthcare provider.
Asked by: Sarah Olney (Liberal Democrat - Richmond Park)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the age profile is of NHS midwives; and how many NHS midwives in each age category are (a) UK nationals, (b) nationals of an EU member state, (c) nationals of other states and (d) midwives for whom nationality is not recorded.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
NHS Digital publishes Hospital and Community Health Services (HCHS) workforce statistics. These include staff working in hospital trusts and clinical commissioning groups (CCGs), but not staff working in primary care, general practice surgeries, local authorities or other providers.
The following table shows the age profile and nationality of National Health Service midwives by age band and nationality group, in NHS trusts and CCGs in England, as at 30 November 2020, headcount.
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Age band | United Kingdom | European Union | European Economic Area | Rest of world | Unknown |
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Under 25 years old | 1,811 | 56 | 2 | 6 | 20 |
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25 to 34 years old | 6,980 | 561 | 3 | 44 | 97 |
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35 to 44 years old | 6,193 | 329 | 4 | 108 | 172 |
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45 to 54 years old | 5,739 | 202 | 4 | 172 | 258 |
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55 to 64 years old | 3,934 | 141 | - | 105 | 195 |
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65 years old and over | 233 | 19 | - | 22 | 8 |
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As nationality is self-reported the value entered by an individual may reflect their cultural heritage rather than their country of birth. Therefore, these figures do not necessarily equate to migrants from other countries.