§ Lord Aveburyasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they are satisfied that proper arrangements exist for the care of the mentally ill asylum seekers in the light of the story The Man who Broke His Journey in the annual report of the Medical Foundation. [HL3436]
§ Lord Williams of MostynAsylum seekers and their dependants have the same entitlement to free consultation with, and treatment by, a general practitioner and free treatment at a National Health Service hospital as the general population. They are also entitled to free prescriptions, some dental treatment and eye tests. It is not proposed to alter these entitlements under the new provisions in the Immigration and Asylum Bill.
Under these new arrangements, written information will be provided at an early stage to asylum seekers about the medical care available to them on the National Health Service. We are exploring ways of supplementing that information with the aid of the British Medical Association and the Medical Foundation. I regret that I am unable to provide details of the case quoted in the annual report of the Medical Foundation for reasons of confidentiality.