§ Mr. Andrew HargreavesTo ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what proportion of national health service expenditure is spent on treating non-British subjects who are bona-fide reciprocal arrangement patients;
(2) what proportion of national health service annual expenditure is spent on patients who are not British subjects and whose country of origin has no reciprocal arrangements.
§ Mr. DorrellThe possession of British nationality is not of itself a requirement for free NHS hospital treatment. Anyone not ordinarily resident in the United Kingdom has to pay for NHS hospital treatment unless he or she is covered by one of a number of specific exemptions, including reciprocal arrangements.
Comprehensive information is not collected centrally on the cost to the NHS of treatment to patients exempted from charges.
§ Mr. Andrew HargreavesTo ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list those countries which enjoy reciprocal arrangements whereby production of a national health service number is not necessary but where free treatment is available in the United Kingdom on production of an ID card of country of origin.
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§ Mr. DorrellThe territories are as follows: Anguilla, Australia, Austria. Belgium, British Virgin Islands, Bulgaria, Channel Islands, Czechoslovakia, Denmark, Falkland Islands, Finland, France, Germany, Gibraltar, Greece, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, Irish Republic, Isle of Man, Italy, Luxembourg, Malta, Montserrat, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, St. Helena, Spain, Sweden, Turks and Caicos Islands, USSR and Yugoslavia.