Explanatory note

These Regulations amend the National Health Service (Charges to Overseas Visitors) Regulations 1989 which provide for the making and recovery of charges in respect of certain services provided under the National Health Service Act 1977 to certain persons not ordinarily resident in the United Kingdom (“overseas visitors”).

Regulations 3 and 5 change the entitlement specifications for several of the existing categories of overseas visitor who are exempt from charges for services.

Regulation 4 exempts certain United Kingdom retirement pensioners who live for at least six months in the United Kingdom and in another Member State for less than six months from charges when they are in the United Kingdom.

Regulation 6 enables the National Assembly for Wales to make a determination in certain circumstances to exempt specified overseas visitors from charges for specified services for exceptional humanitarian reasons and regulation 5 exempts from charges for treatment, the need of which arose during the course of a visit, specified persons who accompany a person to whom an exemption for exceptional humanitarian reasons applies.

Regulation 7 includes Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) in the list in Schedule 1 of treatments exempt from charges.

Regulation 8 removes Hong Kong from Schedule 2 to the 1989 Regulations (countries or territories in respect of which the United Kingdom Government has entered into a reciprocal agreement).