The Government decided to end their bilateral health care agreement with the Isle of Man on 31 March 2010, because it no longer represents value for money. Tourists will continue to receive free accident and emergency treatment but will now be expected to have insurance to cover the cost of further treatment.
I am obviously grateful to the Secretary of State for that factual response. However, clearly he will be aware that the Isle of Man is a Crown dependency, that the reciprocal health care agreement has been in place since 1948 and that the Government’s decision to end it at the end of next month was an arbitrary one without consultation. Has he given any thought to the impact on hospitals in the north-west of England, which could be affected by the decision, and to the position, in particular, of elderly people who go in their retirement to the Isle of Man and will be placed in financial difficulty when it comes to their health care?
I am aware that we are talking about a long-standing agreement, but I hope that the hon. Gentleman would accept that it relates to a different time, when lots of people from the north-west travelled to the Isle of Man for their holidays. The numbers travelling now are around half what they were in the ’40s, ’50s and ’60s of the last century, so there is no longer any basis for the agreement as it stood. I am sure that he would agree that, right now, I have to look at securing the maximum value for money from every piece of Government expenditure. However, I hear the concern that has been expressed by those in all parts of the House, so I will keep the matter under close review, as I said to the Chief Minister of the Isle of Man when I met him on 19 January.
Does my right hon. Friend agree that the success or otherwise of the reciprocal health care agreement with the Isle of Man has depended on the excellence of the hospital care available, particularly in Liverpool? Will he undertake to do everything in his power to advance the building projects at the Royal Liverpool University hospital and Alder Hey in particular, as there is some anxiety about whether we will see decisions on either in the near future?
I am certainly aware of the long historical ties between the Isle of Man and Merseyside, given my roots. I also congratulate my right hon. Friend on the ingenuity of her question, in mentioning the Royal Liverpool. There is a flow of patients from the Isle of Man to this country and vice versa, and we hope that that will continue. The Royal Liverpool is a crucial project of great significance for health care and the economy in Merseyside and the north-west. I would like to make progress on it shortly, but I am not in a position to make an announcement today.