08.11.13
Immigrants should take out private health insurance – MPs
Charging temporary migrants for NHS care could affect vulnerable people who have been trafficked into the country, the Home Affairs Committee has warned.
Health secretary Jeremy Hunt recently announced plans to charge temporary migrants £200 a year to help cover their costs of healthcare and to deter ‘health tourism’.
The committee’s new report criticises the UK Border Agency (UKBA) for failure to process a backlog of cases and for “chaotic” immigration policy.
MPs raised concerns about how the proposed charge for NHS access for temporary migrants could affect vulnerable people, and have recommended the government pilot an alternative where visa applicants take out private health insurance.
Committee chair Keith Vaz MP said: “This has been a chaotic summer for immigration policy. First we had the controversial AdVans which were rightly ridiculed, and then it was revealed that Capita had botched the contract to clear the migration refusal pool by asking British citizens to leave their own country. Finally we saw a U-turn on visa bonds, however the uncertainty has already done damage.
“If the government wants to get tough on illegal immigrants it needs to take effective action. When people make allegations about those here illegally the Home Office must act. Currently only 6 in 100 reports of illegal immigrants result in an actual investigation and only 1.5 in 100 result in removal. This is a very poor record and does not give confidence to those who go out of their way to help the Home Office.”
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Image c. Dominic Lipinski/ PA Wire