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Written Question
Health Services: Foreign Nationals
Thursday 29th February 2024

Asked by: John Hayes (Conservative - South Holland and The Deepings)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what information her Department holds on how many people not legally resident in the UK were charged for healthcare in (a) NHS hospitals and (b) doctors surgeries in (i) 2021, (ii) 2022 and (iii) 2023.

Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Department does not collect or hold the requested information.


Written Question
Health Services: Foreign Nationals
Thursday 7th September 2023

Asked by: John Hayes (Conservative - South Holland and The Deepings)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the potential cost to the public purse of foreign nationals accessing NHS services in each of the last five years.

Answered by Will Quince

This information is not collected in the format requested.

The Department publishes data on the income recognised from overseas visitors, who may or may not be foreign nationals, accessing the National Health Service in its annual reports and accounts, as well as the NHS consolidated provider accounts.

The information from the annual accounts is shown in the below table.

2017/18

2018/19

2019/20

2020/21

2021/22

Income Recognised (£m)

87

91

93

61

67

The annual reports and accounts are available at the following links:

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1135637/dhsc-annual-report-and-accounts-2021-2022_web-accessible.pdf

https://www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/consolidated-provider-accounts-21-22-final.pdf


Written Question
Health Services: Foreign Nationals
Thursday 18th May 2023

Asked by: Gareth Bacon (Conservative - Orpington)

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department are taking to re-coup costs from unpaid medical treatment provided to non-entitled persons.

Answered by Robert Jenrick

The Home Office is not responsible for recouping NHS debts. This is solely within the remit of each NHS trust. Migrants who are not entitled to free NHS healthcare are charged at 150% of the cost of treatment where charges apply.

The NHS debtor rule acts as an immigration sanction which is imposed on migrants who accrue debts to the NHS exceeding £500. Migrants with outstanding NHS debts are notified to the Home Office once the debt has been outstanding for a period exceeding two months from date of invoice. An NHS debt may lead to further immigration applications being refused.


Written Question
Health Services: Foreign Nationals
Monday 24th April 2023

Asked by: Tom Hunt (Conservative - Ipswich)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will publish the (a) number of foreign nationals who have received NHS treatment in the last year and (b) the proportion of that figure who have paid back the NHS for their treatment.

Answered by Will Quince

The information requested is not held centrally. Those seeking asylum or temporary or humanitarian protection are exempt from paying for National Health Service treatment in England, where they have made a valid application, until their application is finally determined. Devolved Administrations are responsible for NHS charging in their areas.


Written Question
Health Services: Foreign Nationals
Wednesday 1st March 2023

Asked by: Aaron Bell (Conservative - Newcastle-under-Lyme)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much foreign nationals paid for the treatment they have received on the NHS via the visitors charging regime in each of the last five years.

Answered by Will Quince

We have taken foreign national to mean an overseas visitor. The following table shows that over the last five years the National Health Service has received £150 million from overseas visitors.

Year

2017/18

2018/19

2019/20

2020/21

2021/22

Cash payments received

£30 million

£35 million

£39 million

£21 million

£25 million

Source: Consolidated NHS provider accounts


Written Question
Health Services: Foreign Nationals
Wednesday 1st March 2023

Asked by: Aaron Bell (Conservative - Newcastle-under-Lyme)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many foreign nationals received treatment on the NHS via the visitors charging regime in each of the last five years.

Answered by Will Quince

We have taken foreign national to mean an overseas visitor. The following table shows that over the last five years the National Health Service has received £150 million from overseas visitors.

Year

2017/18

2018/19

2019/20

2020/21

2021/22

Cash payments received

£30 million

£35 million

£39 million

£21 million

£25 million

Source: Consolidated NHS provider accounts


Written Question
Iran: Refugees
Tuesday 22nd November 2022

Asked by: Brendan O'Hara (Scottish National Party - Argyll and Bute)

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the safety of Afghan refugees in Iran.

Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

FCDO officials have engaged with regional governments to allow Afghan nationals to cross borders from Afghanistan on humanitarian grounds. Regional countries are vital to the response. Iran is reviewing its position, but has a register of all Afghans in Iran and recognises the Afghan population as legitimate migrant labour. The UK has provided £4.5 million to the UN Refugee Agency, £1 million to the World Food Programme, and £1 million to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, for life-saving assistance, including shelter, sanitation, protection, food security and health services, for vulnerable Afghan refugees in Iran.


Written Question
Iran: Refugees
Tuesday 22nd November 2022

Asked by: Brendan O'Hara (Scottish National Party - Argyll and Bute)

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how much aid the UK has provided to Iran to support Afghan refugees in that country.

Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

FCDO officials have engaged with regional governments to allow Afghan nationals to cross borders from Afghanistan on humanitarian grounds. Regional countries are vital to the response. Iran is reviewing its position, but has a register of all Afghans in Iran and recognises the Afghan population as legitimate migrant labour. The UK has provided £4.5 million to the UN Refugee Agency, £1 million to the World Food Programme, and £1 million to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, for life-saving assistance, including shelter, sanitation, protection, food security and health services, for vulnerable Afghan refugees in Iran.


Written Question
Health Services: Foreign Nationals
Friday 5th August 2022

Asked by: Lord Rosser (Labour - Life peer)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the extent to which the Immigration Health Surcharge has reduced the impact of non-British citizens using the National Health Service; and how they have made this assessment.

Answered by Lord Kamall

The Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS) raised £480.82 million in 2020/21; and £1,423 million in 2021/22. This relates to income collected by the Home Office through visa applications for the United Kingdom. The information requested on the distribution of this income specifically for the National Health Service in England, other Departments and public bodies is not held in the format requested. A proportion of net IHS income is allocated to the Department of Health and Social Care with other income sources for expenditure on health services by NHS England and other organisations, such as local authorities. However, there is no central record of the proportion of IHS income received by NHS and non-NHS organisations.

No specific assessment of the impact of the IHS on non-British citizens’ use of the NHS has been made. Those who pay the IHS have the same entitlement to NHS care as those ordinally resident in the United Kingdom, with the exception of assisted conception services.


Written Question
Health Services: Foreign Nationals
Monday 4th July 2022

Asked by: Kate Green (Labour - Stretford and Urmston)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department's assessment of the NHS (Charges to Overseas Visitors) Regulations 2020 includes consideration of those Regulations' impact on (a) all equalities groups and (b) the health access and outcomes of Black Asian and minority ethnic pregnant women and new mothers; and if he will make a statement.

Answered by Edward Argar - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)

There are currently no plans to publish a report relating to the internal policy assessment on these Regulations. The Department is considering the emerging evidence to ensure that the policy continues to protect National Health Service resources, while maintaining a humanitarian approach to the provision of healthcare. This assessment considers the effect on the most vulnerable migrants and overseas visitors, pregnant women and new mothers, as well as destitute migrants. It also focussed on ensuring that we continue to meet our obligations under the Equality Act 2010 with regards to individuals or groups with protected characteristics, including but not limited to race, disability, sex and gender and maternity.