EU CROSS-BORDER HEALTH SERVICES DIRECTIVE

Early day motion 526, tabled 10 December 2007 by Frank Dobson (Labour). Signed by 56 members.

That this House notes the European Commission proposals for a directive on cross-border health services, which in their current form would force the National Health Service to pay private health providers abroad for non-emergency treatment of United Kingdom citizens who are wealthy enough to pay the fees up front, to further develop an internal market by setting a tariff for all treatments and create a bureaucracy to advertise and facilitate the right of patients to seek private treatment abroad; further notes that the proposed directive's legal basis is under the internal market, and that it is explicitly based on encouraging competition between health providers and over-rides the consideration of cost versus medical need; further notes the support of Conservative and Liberal Democrat Members of the European Parliament for such a directive; believes that this directive would undermine the fundamental principles of the NHS, impose unnecessary burdens of cost and bureaucracy, over-rule clinical priorities and act to worsen health inequalities; supports the Unison campaign against the proposals; and urges the Government to veto any such directive.

Signatures by party: Labour 56.