§ Mr. Paul MarsdenTo ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on how his Department ensures that primary care teams are made aware of the rights of(a) refugees and (b) asylum seekers to permanent GP registration. [86161]
§ Ms BlearsNational health service medical primary care services are available free to all persons who are ordinarily resident in the United Kingdom. Refugees and asylum seekers given leave to remain in the UK, or awaiting the results of an application to remain, are regarded as ordinarily resident and entitled to full NHS general practitioner treatment.
This will be re-emphasised in a resource pack for those who work with asylum seekers, which has been developed with the Refugee Council and will be issued early this year. Department of Health initiatives such as local development schemes and personal medical services contracts also help locally in registering refugees and asylum seekers with GPs.
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§ The Solicitor-GeneralA number of steps are being taken to reduce the percentage of cases that are discontinued before trial
To ensure the right evidence there is closer working between the police and CPS.Better support for victims and witnesses.More CPS lawyers to ensure good quality case preparation.