§ Mr. FallonTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to provide a screening service for asylum seekers arriving in Kent; and what finance is being made available. [6066]
§ Mr. Hutton[holding answer 15 October 2001]: In Kent, as in the rest of the country, health authorities are responsible for providing health services, including screening, to asylum seekers. There are also national guidelines on what screening health authorities should offer their populations for tuberculosis (TB), and interim guidance on screening refugees and asylum seekers for TB has recently been circulated. In addition, the Department has commissioned the Refugee Council to provide best practice guidance on the health and social care needs (including screening needs) of asylum seekers dispersed through the National Asylum Support Service.
More generally, there is provision in immigration legislation for immigration officers to refer any prospective entrant to the United Kingdom to a medical inspector at the port of entry for a medical examination. The Department is considering with the Home Office and 144W the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, whether the current arrangements for controlling cases of imported infection need to be strengthened, and if so how.