(2) what assessment she has made of the impact of the denial of secondary healthcare to refused asylum seekers on their health;
(3) how many refused asylum seekers (a) sought and (b) were denied access to secondary healthcare in each of the last five years.
No one in need of immediately necessary treatment to save life or prevent a condition from becoming life-threatening will ever have that treatment refused or denied, irrespective of their immigration status. However, the principle remains that the national health service is intended primarily for those who are legally resident in this country. Those who are not, including failed asylum seekers who have not left the United Kingdom, should not expect to receive NHS treatment free of charge. Successive Governments have not required NHS trusts to submit statistics on the number of overseas visitors treated, or on the cost of doing so.
The Home Office document “Enforcing the rules: a strategy to ensure and enforce compliance with our immigration laws”, published in March, announced that a review of access to the NHS by foreign nationals would be carried out jointly by the Home Office and the; Department. The review, to be completed by October, will specifically consider the position of failed asylum seekers.
The Government will respond to the report of the Joint Committee on Human Rights in due course.