Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what conversations his Department has had with the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office regarding cancer patients visiting the UK on a visa who are undergoing treatment in Iran; and whether it has a plan to deal with the impact of the war on people with cancer in this predicament.

The Department has not issued any specific guidance for Iranians with health conditions who are visiting the United Kingdom. Furthermore, the Department of Health and Social Care has not engaged in discussions with the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office concerning Iranians visiting the UK who require cancer treatment.

In England, the National Health Service is a residency‑based system and only those who are ordinarily resident in the UK, or otherwise exempt under the NHS (Charges to Overseas Visitors) Regulations 2015, are entitled to NHS care without charge, however, decisions about whether treatment is provided are always made by clinicians on the basis of clinical need, and urgent or immediately necessary care must not be delayed or denied because of charging considerations.