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Written question asked by Martyn Day (Scottish National Party) on Thursday, 24 November 2016, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 28 November 2016. It was answered by Robert Goodwill (Conservative) on Friday, 2 December 2016 on behalf of the Home Office.

Migrants: Health Services

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 7 July 2016 to Question 41770, what proportion of the funding raised by the Immigration Health Surcharge in 2015-16 was paid by people resident in the UK and eligible to pay national insurance.

Answer

The immigration health surcharge aims to ensure that temporary, non-EEA migrants make a fair contribution to the cost of healthcare in the UK, in line with their immigration status. Temporary, non-EEA migrants have not built up the long-term relationship and contribution to the UK that a permanent resident has built up, and will build up, over the course of their lifetime. It is, therefore, the migrant’s immigration status that determines whether or not they pay the surcharge, not their tax or national insurance contributions.

The Government recognises that migrants who pay the surcharge may contribute to the economy in a number of ways, including by paying income tax and national insurance and this contribution is reflected in the surcharge levels, which are set below the average per capita cost to the NHS of treating non-EEA temporary migrants.

Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
54677
Session
2016-17
Related items
Migrants: Health Services
Thursday, 7 July 2016
Written questions
House of Commons
Subjects
Health services Migrants Surcharges
Contains statistics
Yes
Link
View this Written question on www.parliament.uk