Asked by: Baroness Hollins (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether, in the event of a no-deal Brexit, EU frontier workers working and paying tax and National Insurance in the UK will be entitled to NHS treatment.
Answered by Baroness Blackwood of North Oxford
In a ‘no deal’ European Union exit, EU citizens living in another state but travelling regularly to and from the United Kingdom as a frontier worker on or before exit day will continue to be entitled for National Health Service treatment without charge.
The Government is aiming to agree with the EU or with individual Member States continuing the existing reciprocal healthcare arrangements after exit day until at least 31 December 2020. Where such agreement is reached, an EU citizen who becomes a frontier worker after exit day would be eligible for NHS treatment without charge, under the terms of that arrangement. Where no agreement is reached, a frontier worker from that country may be charged for their care unless an exemption applies or the service that they are accessing is one which is free for everyone.
Asked by: Tom Brake (Liberal Democrat - Carshalton and Wallington)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the letter to UK citizens residing in the EU from NHS Business Services Authority dated 23 September 2019, what estimate he has made of the time it will take for his Department to settle payments for the treatment specified in that letter; and if he will publish that letter.
Answered by Edward Argar - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
The United Kingdom Government has announced it will fund the healthcare of existing UK-insured individuals living or working in the European Union, on the same basis as now, for a further six months after exit day if we leave without a deal. The mechanisms and the time taken to make these payments will depend on the Member State.
The UK is, in the first instance, seeking to use established processes and continue making payments at country-to-country level as we do now. If Member States do not agree to this, the UK Government will offer to pay healthcare providers in the EU directly. The timing of the payment will depend on when providers or individuals provide the necessary information to NHS Business Services Authority. Payments will be made within five days after a request for reimbursement has been validated.
A copy of the letter sent to UK pensioners and benefit holders living in the EU from NHS Business Services Authority is available at the following link:
Asked by: Steve Reed (Labour (Co-op) - Croydon North)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps the Government is taking to help ensure that UK nationals living in EU states who have applied for but not yet been issued with an S1 certificate by HMRC can access (a) routine and (b) emergency healthcare.
Answered by Edward Argar - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
I laid a Written Ministerial Statement HCWS1832 on 26 September 2019, setting out the transitional healthcare arrangements across the European Union that the Department has put in place if we are unable to secure a deal. The contingency arrangements will cover all those living in an EU or European Free Trade Area member state who are eligible for a healthcare S1 form at the time the United Kingdom leaves the EU even if they have not yet obtained that form at the time the UK leaves the EU.
The NHS Business Services Authority only issues healthcare S1s. It does not issue S1 forms for posted workers which are issued by HM Revenue and Customs. Pensioners do not need to apply to renew their form. When the NHS Business Services Authority record a registered S1, there is no ability to capture the date the S1 was received, only the date it was processed.
At the end of calendar year 2018, the UK had outstanding reciprocal healthcare claims valued at £307 million, including for the S1 scheme.
The NHS Business Services Authority does not have data regarding the number of UK citizens that have a right to healthcare cover in the EU. The total number of registered UK S1s is 152,000 (excluding Ireland). For the period 1 April 2018 to 31 March 2019, there were a total of 35,535 S1 applications, of which 10,908 have been registered on NHS Business Services Authority systems.
Asked by: Steve Reed (Labour (Co-op) - Croydon North)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to Section 20 rules to apply to stay in the UK under the EU Settlement Scheme, what support her Department is providing to local authorities to enable them to work with looked-after children that are EU nationals.
Answered by Brandon Lewis
The Home Office has put in place a comprehensive vulnerability strategy to ensure that the EU Settlement Scheme (EUSS) is accessible for all, including children in care.
For England, Scotland and Wales local authorities (LAs) and for Northern Ireland Health and Social Care Trusts (HSCTs) will have responsibility in ensuring that applications are made on behalf of all looked after children for whom they have full parental responsibility and who are EEA citizens or family members and to assist with accessing services with status once granted.
If the child is cared for under shared care provisions, it is LAs and HSCTs responsibility to ensure that the child, and their carers, are aware of the need to make an application to the EUSS, signposting them to practical support where needed.
To help local authorities prepare for the launch of the EU Settlement Scheme, the Home Office made several recommendations. Identifying the eligible cohort of children and care leavers was one of the recommendations, along with identifying resource to manage this work stream.
The Children Act 1989 provides the legal framework for local authorities to promote a child’s welfare and best interests, setting out statutory duties in relation to looked after children in England, with respective authorities for the devolved administrations. Statutory guidance is provided by DfE in relation to this. This statutory duty to promote best interests, coupled with funding provided to local authorities under a new burdens assessment should ensure that this important work will be done.
Additionally, the Home Office has been holding monthly teleconferences for local authority staff who are undertaking this work. A designated help-line number has also been made available for local authority staff to contact trained caseworkers in the Home Office should they need to discuss any aspect of the EU Settlement Scheme.
Asked by: Steve Reed (Labour (Co-op) - Croydon North)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to ensure that children in care that are EU nationals are informed of the potential requirement to apply to secure their status in the UK.
Answered by Brandon Lewis
The Home Office has put in place a comprehensive vulnerability strategy to ensure that the EU Settlement Scheme (EUSS) is accessible for all, including children in care.
For England, Scotland and Wales local authorities (LAs) and for Northern Ireland Health and Social Care Trusts (HSCTs) will have responsibility in ensuring that applications are made on behalf of all looked after children for whom they have full parental responsibility and who are EEA citizens or family members and to assist with accessing services with status once granted.
If the child is cared for under shared care provisions, it is LAs and HSCTs responsibility to ensure that the child, and their carers, are aware of the need to make an application to the EUSS, signposting them to practical support where needed.
To help local authorities prepare for the launch of the EU Settlement Scheme, the Home Office made several recommendations. Identifying the eligible cohort of children and care leavers was one of the recommendations, along with identifying resource to manage this work stream.
The Children Act 1989 provides the legal framework for local authorities to promote a child’s welfare and best interests, setting out statutory duties in relation to looked after children in England, with respective authorities for the devolved administrations. Statutory guidance is provided by DfE in relation to this. This statutory duty to promote best interests, coupled with funding provided to local authorities under a new burdens assessment should ensure that this important work will be done.
Additionally, the Home Office has been holding monthly teleconferences for local authority staff who are undertaking this work. A designated help-line number has also been made available for local authority staff to contact trained caseworkers in the Home Office should they need to discuss any aspect of the EU Settlement Scheme.
Asked by: Paul Williams (Labour - Stockton South)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps the Government is taking to ensure adequate staffing levels in the social care sector in the event that the UK leaves the EU without a withdrawal agreement.
Answered by Caroline Dinenage
The Government hugely values the contribution of the 104,000 European Union staff who work in the social care sector. The Prime Minister has made it clear that we not only want them to stay, but also to feel welcomed and encouraged to do so. The EU Settlement Scheme has now fully opened, is free and will allow EU nationals employed in the social care sector to secure their long-term status in the United Kingdom.
The Department continues to monitor and analyse overall staffing levels across both the health and social care sectors and we have been monitoring leaver and joiner rates of European Union staff on a regular basis since the 2016 referendum. We are not complacent and have plans in place to ensure there will continue to be enough staff to deliver the high-quality services on which the public relies.
Asked by: Paul Farrelly (Labour - Newcastle-under-Lyme)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure EU nationals are aware of the evidence they need to provide to access healthcare in the UK in the event of the UK leaving the EU without a deal.
Answered by Chris Skidmore
The Department is working closely with other Government departments and the National Health Service to ensure that European Union citizens are aware of the requirements to access healthcare in the event of the United Kingdom leaving the EU without a deal. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office have a large-scale public information campaign setting out what business and the public need to know as we prepare to leave the EU. Further guidance and information will be published in due course.
We have published the following guidance on GOV.UK which is available at the following links:
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/healthcare-for-eu-and-efta-citizens-visiting-the-uk
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/healthcare-for-eu-and-efta-nationals-living-in-the-uk
Asked by: Paul Williams (Labour - Stockton South)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether people with active but incomplete applications for settled and pre-settled status will be entitled to free NHS treatment after 31 October 2019.
Answered by Chris Skidmore
European Union citizens living in the United Kingdom on or before exit day will remain eligible for free National Health Service care as long as they remain ordinarily resident here. Being ordinarily resident broadly means living here on a lawful and properly-settled basis for the time being.
It is not currently necessary for an EU citizen to demonstrate that they have status under the EU Settlement Scheme in order to access the NHS. The European Settlement Scheme secures the residency rights for EU citizens who have been residing in the UK prior to the day we leave the EU. EU citizens already living in the UK on exit day have up until 31 December 2020 to apply for Settled Status, but their access to healthcare will remain the same regardless of whether they apply for Settled Status up to then.
Asked by: Paul Farrelly (Labour - Newcastle-under-Lyme)
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 ensure doctors will not be asked to determine patients’ eligibility for healthcare in the event of the UK leaving the EU without a deal.
Answered by Chris Skidmore
Doctors will not be required to determine patients’ entitlement for free National Health Service care in any European Union exit scenario. A clinician’s role is to provide the relevant healthcare for patients and make decisions on their treatment based on their clinical needs. Clinicians will at times be required to make a decision on whether treatment is immediately necessary, urgent or can safely wait until the individual leaves the UK for those patients identified as not eligible for NHS-funded care, as this will determine when payment has to be taken.
The Department is working closely with other Government departments and the NHS to ensure that NHS staff receive appropriate information in relation to any changes to policy or procedure as a result of leaving the EU in a timely and appropriate manner.
Asked by: Paul Williams (Labour - Stockton South)
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 ensure EU nationals are aware of the requirement to provide evidence that they live in the UK on a lawful basis to access healthcare in the UK in the event of the UK leaving the EU without a withdrawal agreement.
Answered by Chris Skidmore
The Department is working closely with other Government departments and the National Health Service to ensure that European Union citizens are aware of the requirements to access healthcare in the event of the United Kingdom leaving the EU without a deal. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has a large-scale public information campaign setting out what business and the public need to know as we prepare to leave the EU. Further guidance and information will be published in due course.
We have published the following guidance on GOV.UK at the following links:
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/healthcare-for-eu-and-efta-citizens-visiting-the-uk
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/healthcare-for-eu-and-efta-nationals-living-in-the-uk