ISLE OF MAN NHS RECIPROCAL HEALTH AGREEMENT

That this House calls on the Secretary of State for Health to defer the cancellation of the reciprocal health agreement with the Isle of Man planned for 1 April 2010 and to review the decision to abrogate the arrangement, a decision which will not only be unfair to residents of the Isle of Man but also substantially disadvantage United Kingdom residents and voters and in particular the elderly, the chronically disabled and motorbike enthusiasts; believes that Age Concern and all the major disability pressure groups and charities should be consulted as part of the review; asks that the review be at ministerial level with the Health Ministers of the Isle of Man, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales as well as the Justice Secretary, who has responsibility for the bilateral and constitutional relationships between the United Kingdom and Crown Dependencies; demands that the details and totality of the costs of the reciprocal agreement to both jurisdictions be published; seeks an explanation of the constitutional basis upon which the Secretary of State relies to abrogate the existing agreement on behalf of Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales; and requests that the Secretary of State makes a statement on the modalities by which it is proposed to collect the costs of emergency admissions and hospitalisation in each jurisdiction if the existing agreement is terminated.