Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what was the cost in the last financial year of providing medical treatment by GPs to non-EU citizens; and whether they intend to introduce charges for non-EU citizens to access GP treatment.

Anyone, including a non-European Union citizen, can register with a general practitioner practice for National Health Service primary medical services, which are then provided free of charge. There is no legal requirement to provide identification when registering with a GP practice. However, from October 2017, the form for those registering with a GP practice requests information from patients who are not ordinarily resident in the United Kingdom about their entitlement to access other NHS services free of charge, such as NHS hospital treatment.

The Department does not collect data on the cost of providing medical treatment to non-EU citizens by GPs.

In December 2015, the Government published Making a fair contribution: A consultation on the extension of charging overseas visitors and migrants using the NHS in England, which set out proposals to introduce charging for primary medical services, except GP and nurse consultations, for non-European Economic Area nationals where no exemption category applies to them. In its response in February 2017, the Government set out its intention to take a phased approach to implementing charging for primary medical services, taking into account contractual amendments and additional legislative changes.

A copy of the consultation response is attached.