A Government minister has delivered a scathing four-word answer after a Tory MP suggested illegal immigrants are jumping the queue when it comes to NHS treatment.
Sarah Ball grilled Labor MPs during Home Office Questions in the House of Commons on Monday.
The South Northamptonshire MP said: “Does the Foreign Secretary think it is fair that illegal illegal immigrants should get priority access to the NHS at the expense of British taxpayers?”
“Mr Speaker, they don’t,” Immigration Minister Angela Eagle responded.
The MP’s question came after reports earlier this month that illegal immigrants were receiving preferential treatment when it came to hospital treatment.
Reform UK deputy leader Richard Tice said: “This sums up a broken Britain.”
But an NHS spokesman He told the Daily Express“The NHS is legally obliged to provide healthcare services to asylum seekers and migrants free of charge at the point of use, with local Integrated Care Boards (ICBs) responsible for commissioning these services based on need while ensuring all local people continue to have access to care.”
“ICBs also have a legal duty to address inequalities in access to NHS services, which can include providing tailored services to communities with the worst health inequalities, while also supporting all those who need care.”
Spokesman for the Ministry of Health and Social Care He told the Telegraph: “It is essential that all vulnerable members of society, including asylum seekers, have access to the healthcare they need, and it has been a legal requirement under successive governments that local NHS commissioners take the right steps through individual contracts to enable this.
“Our £26 billion investment in the NHS and health service reforms will ensure it works for everyone again.”