I recognise why my hon. Friend has asked that question. We do think very hard about the level at which we set that charge, which was introduced for the first time only a couple of years ago. The reason that it is set that low—I recognise that it is quite a low charge—is that a large number of people paying it are students who tend to have low health needs and be low users of the NHS. We want to ensure that we do not create an inadvertent disincentive for people coming to the UK when they can, at the same time, choose to do their studies in Australia and America. However, it is something that we keep constantly under review.
Defending Public Services
Proceeding contribution from
Jeremy Hunt
(Conservative)
in the House of Commons on Monday, 23 May 2016.
It occurred during Queen's speech debate on Defending Public Services.
Type
Proceeding contribution
Reference
611 c276 
Session
2016-17
Chamber / Committee
House of Commons chamber
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Timestamp
2022-09-14 23:29:49 +0100
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