HC Deb 23 July 2004 vol 424 cc926-7W
Mr. Ian Taylor

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what reciprocal health care arrangements are in place between the UK and other EU states; how many people were treated under these arrangements in the UK in each of the last five years, broken down by region; and what the cost of this arrangement to the UK was for each of the past five years, broken down by region. [184370]

Mr. Hutton

[holding answer 20 July 2004]: Regulations (EEC) 1408/71 and 574/72 co-ordinate the social security and health care schemes of the European economic area countries (EEA). These regulations apply to employed or self-employed people and pensioners who are insured for health care under the state health system of a member slate. The regulations provide, among other things, for health care for persons temporarily visiting another member state, referrals of patients specifically for treatment in another member state and health care for pensioners who relocate to another member state. Non-employed persons are also covered but only for health care during temporary visits.

Member states reimburse each other for treatments given to each others people. The following table shows costs for the last four years. Numbers of patients treated are not available since claims may cover several episodes of care for a single individual. No data are available on patients' United Kingdom region of origin.

Table 1: UK obligation under the (EEC) Regulation 1408/71— Resource estimates
£000
Member states claims against the United Kingdom UK claims against member states
1999–2000 176,400 26,500
2000–01 188,000 25,000
2001–02 231,900 31,300
2002–03 249,700 31,500
Notes:
1. Figures are based on latest available information and used in the 2002–03 Resource Accounting and Budgeting (RAB) outturn exercise. This information is compiled in line with the requirements of "Government Accounting 2000" and National Audit Office (NAO). Information for 1998–99 is not on a comparable basis.
2. Claims against UK are made in national currency and converted in sterling by using the quarterly mean exchange rates published by the Commission.

New diagnoses of selected sexually transmitted infections (STIs)1 in teenagers (under 20 years of age) by strategic health authority

(SHA) in England, 1995–2002

SHA 1995 1996 1997 1998
Avon, Gloucestershire and Wiltshire 848 862 1,051 1,090
Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire 465 450 578 626
Birmingham and the Black Country 857 1,048 1,228 1,139
Cheshire and Merseyside 884 987 1,164 1,292
County Durham and Tees Valley 332 375 485 535
Coventry, Warwickshire, Herefordshire and Worcestershire 520 570 652 698
Cumbria and Lancashire 629 677 882 878
Dorset and Somerset 373 416 516 606
Essex 398 409 544 582
Greater Manchester 1,052 1,283 1,519 1,668
Hampshire and Isle of Wight 538 635 764 833
Kent and Medway 397 510 490 560
Leicestershire, Northamptonshire and Rutland 652 643 804 842
Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire 699 809 912 1,052
North and East Yorkshire and Northern 514 637 730 723
North Central London 535 678 706 940
North East London 596 696 858 950
North West London 837 861 955 1,016