Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of the UK remaining part of the European Health Insurance Card after the UK leaves the EU.

The Department is aware of the benefits of the existing reciprocal healthcare arrangements such as the European Health Insurance Card (EHIC), in ensuring United Kingdom-insured residents have access to healthcare in the European Union/European Economic Area countries and Switzerland. The UK Government has therefore made clear in the course of the negotiations that it wishes to see the existing reciprocal healthcare arrangements, including the EHIC scheme, continued after the UK leaves the EU.