Mr. Gareth ThomasTo ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people not ordinarily resident in the UK received free NHS treatment in each of the last 10 years; and if he will make a statement. [118343]
§ Mr. HuttonThe fact that someone is deemed not ordinarily resident does not mean that they should automatically be charged for their treatment. It is for individual national health service trusts to establish whether a patient is ordinarily resident, and if not, whether they are nevertheless exempt from paying charges under the provisions of the National Health Service (Charges to Overseas Visitors) Regulations 1989. Trusts are not required to submit returns to the Department of Health specifically on the numbers of patients who are treated free of charge under those Regulations.