'It's important they pay their fair share': Wes Streeting vows to crack down on health tourism
12 September 2024, 08:51
Health Secretary: 'There will be a crackdown on health tourism'
Health Secretary Wes Streeting has vowed to crack down on health tourism.
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Speaking to LBC's Nick Ferrari at Breakfast, Mr Streeting said that people coming from overseas for treatment should "pay their fair share", especially with a £22 billion black hole in public finances.
He said: "Where people are coming to this country and using health services, it’s important that they pay their fair share in the way that when I was on holiday at the end of August, if I had an accident or I'd fallen ill, it’s my responsibility to make sure I've got health insurance to cover it.
"If im not insured, I'd have to pay the bill in that particular country, that’s what I'd expect if I was travelling to another country and that’s what we should expect for people who are travelling to this country.
"There are tough choices at the moment, there is a £22 billion black hole in public finances this year.
"If we're making tough choices for people in Britain, we've got to make sure people coming from overseas pay their share too."
Read more: Rachel Reeves 'to sell off Government buildings' - as she blames Tory cover-up for £20bn black hole
Streeting avoids questions on details of the '£22 billion black hole'
Addressing the £22 billion black hole, Mr Streeting acknowledged that some of the decisions the government had already made - such as cutting winter fuel payments for pensioners - had not gone down well.
"The office for budget responsibility holds us to account and pores over our numbers," he said.
"We've got to make sure that in the budget and spending review we set out where the public finances are, what we're doing to tackle the black hole and why this is necessary.
"I know that some of the choices we are making already and some of the choices we will make in the budget and spending review will be tough but the medicine, however unpleasant it might be, is a damn sight better than the alternative of doing reckless spending or more borrowing in the way the Conservatives did because we all end up paying the price in our pockets for that recklessness later."
