§ Mr. Neubertasked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether there is an agreement with the Maltese Government whereby hospital beds are made available within the National Health Service to Maltese nationals as a matter of priority; and, if so, what are the circumstances of the arrangement and the extent of the commitment.
§ Mr. MoyleA bilateral health care convention (Cmnd. 6077), which came into operation on 1st April 1975, provides for citizens of each State to receive any immediate treatment they require when visiting the other. As the number of United Kingdom citizens visiting Malta is the greater, the Convention provides for the imbalance of costs to be adjusted by allowing Malta to send up to 150 patients per year to the United Kingdom for hospital care not available in Malta. These patients are accorded no priority and receive treatment on the same conditions as do United Kingdom citizens. The arrangements are subject to review every two years, in particular to ensure that the costs to each Government are broadly in balance. The next review is about to begin.