Northern Ireland treating ROI patients for free
26 May 2011
Statement by TUV Leader Jim Allister MLA:-
“A reply received by me today from the Health Minister reveals that while under EU arrangements the health service treats other EU citizens under the S2 certificate scheme (previously E111), the local department does not know how many such people it treats, nor the cost involved and, very significantly, it appears Northern Ireland is never recompensed for such expenditure.
The Question asked was as follows:-
To ask the Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety, under the S2 certificate arrangements, (i) how many people not resident in Northern Ireland received non-emergency treatment here in each of the last five years; (ii) how many of these non-residents were residents of the Republic of Ireland; (iii) what was the cost of the treatment provided to Republic of Ireland residents; and (iv) how much the Republic of Ireland reimbursed the Health Service for these treatments.
The answer received was as follows:-
The financial arrangements surrounding S2 certificates are handled centrally by the Department of Work and Pensions on behalf of the UK. All payments and refunds relating to the S2 certificate are made to a central UK budget. S2 figures are not available for each composite part of the UK.
"It will be noted parts (i), (ii) and (iii) were not answered, suggesting the Department doesn’t hold the information. This is shocking in itself, but, to then discover that London, not Belfast, gets any payments received from the country of residence of the patients treated and that Northern Ireland, it seems, is never recompensed, is quite amazing and something which the local administration should have been pursuing.
"Accordingly, I propose to follow up this Answer with the following further Questions to both DHSSPS and DFP:-
To: DHSSPS
Further to the answer to QW 46/11-15, is it the situation that though the Health Service in Northern Ireland bears the cost of S2 certificate treatments provided within Northern Ireland, the local budget is never recompensed if and when payment for such is received by the Department of Work and Pensions in London and, if so, is the Minister content with that arrangement and what is the estimate of the cost of S2 certificate treatment provided annually in Northern Ireland?
To DFP:
Further to the answer to QW 46/11-15, if it is the situation that though the Health Service in Northern Ireland bears the cost of S2 certificate treatments provided within Northern Ireland, the local budget is never recompensed if and when payment for such is received by the Department of Work and Pensions in London, is the Minister content with that arrangement and what is the estimate of the cost of S2 certificate treatment provided annually in Northern Ireland?
“With our Health Service under severe pressure we cannot afford the haemorrhage of the cost of treating other EU citizens without any financial return. I am, therefore, calling on the Finance Minister to address this issue urgently. I am not objecting to the mutual treatment of EU citizens, but I am objecting to us doing it for free, since it costs us money we, apparently, never get back."
