§ Mrs. Dunwoodyasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what action he plans to take following the decision of Bath district health authority to stop using the regulations on overseas visitors charges; whether he will introduce regulations to make checking for these charges optional; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Kenneth ClarkeI am looking into the position at Bath and have asked for a full report from the RHA. Health authorities have a statutory obligation to apply NHS charges to overseas visitors and we do not intend to make the scheme optional.