Health Tourism: Foreigners Face £200 NHS Levy

Foreigners face being charged around £200-a-year for using the NHS in an attempt to tackle so-called health tourism.

Ministers will outline plans to introduce the charge for foreign workers and students who come to the UK for more than half a year.

The Department of Health said it would make sure migrants contributed towards healthcare costs without adding to NHS red tape.

Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt is expected to announce a public consultation on the move as part of a raft of changes to immigration laws.

He will say: "We need to ensure that those residing or visiting the UK are contributing to the system in the same way as British taxpayers, and ensure we do as much as possible to target illegal migration.

"We have been clear that we are a national health service - not an international health service - and I am determined to wipe out abuse in the system.

"The NHS is a national treasure and we need to work with the entire health system to develop plans and make sure it is sustainable for years to come."

He will also outline plans to end free access to GPs for short-term visitors and pledge to cut the bill for treating tourists, which currently stands at £200m.

But he has already made clear foreign patients would not be refused treatment in an emergency. In those cases, efforts to recoup the money would be made later.

The changes are part of a Government-wide push to cut down on abuse of British services, but doctors warned they feared becoming a "form of immigration control".

Clare Gerada, chair of the Council of the Royal College of General Practitioners, said: "I don't think we should be turning the GP surgery into a border agency."

Dr Gerada also warned immigrants with highly infectious conditions could end up "wandering around for fear of being charged" or going to more expensive emergency units, which could cost more.

And she accused the Government of failing to "find the facts" about the actual cost of NHS use by immigrants and launching a "rushed consultation".

"We need to make sure that what comes out the other end is sensible, proportionate and fair and doesn't cost us all much more money and put us at much more risk than the current situation which is one that, even at the worst estimates, is a tiny proportion of NHS costs," she said.

Earlier this year, Prime Minister David Cameron said immigrants could not expect "something for nothing" in the UK.

But shadow health minister Liz Kendall said: "In its three years in power, the Government has a poor record on announcing policies that sound good, but prove to be completely unworkable.

"We will have many questions to ask about the details when they are published, but the key tests for their proposals are: can they be properly enforced and will they save more money than they cost to put in place?

"The public and NHS staff must be confident that any new measures are about getting taxpayers a better deal and ensuring fairness, not playing politics with our NHS."

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Egyptian President 'Will Resign Or Be Sacked'

Egypt Since Morsi Came To Power

Updated: 10:24am UK, Tuesday 02 July 2013

Key developments over the year since Mohamed Morsi became Egypt's first democratically elected president.

:: 2012

June 30: Mr Morsi, elected with 51.7% of the vote, is sworn and becomes Egypt's first civilian and Islamist president.

August 12: The new president scraps a constitutional document that gave sweeping powers to the military and sacks Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi who ruled after Hosni Mubarak's ousting in February, 2011.

November 22: Mr Morsi decrees sweeping new powers for himself.

November 30: Islamist-dominated constituent assembly adopts a draft constitution despite boycott by liberals, Christians.

December 8: The president annuls the decree giving himself increased powers.

December 15 and 22: 64% of voters in a two-round referendum back the new constitution. Egypt plunges into political crisis, with demonstrations by Morsi supporters and opponents sometimes turning deadly.

:: 2013

January 24: There is violence between demonstrators and police on the eve of the second anniversary of the uprising that toppled Mubarak. Nearly 60 people die in a week.

April 5: Four Christians and a Muslims are killed in sectarian violence.

May 7: President Morsi's cabinet reshuffle falls short of opposition demands.

May 16: Gunmen kidnap three policemen and four soldiers in the Sinai Peninsula. They are freed on May 22.

June 2: Egypt's highest court invalidates the Islamist-dominated Senate, which assumed a legislative role when parliament was dissolved, and a panel that drafted the constitution.

June 15: Morsi announces "definitive" severing of ties with Syria.

June 21: Tens of thousands of Islamists gather ahead of planned opposition protests.

June 23: Defence Minister Abdel Fattah al-Sisi warns the army will intervene if violence erupts.

June 28: The US says non-essential embassy staff can leave after an American is killed during protests.

June 29: The Tamarod ('rebellion') campaign which called rallies for June 30 says more than 22 million have signed a petition demanding Mr Morsi's resignation and a snap election.

June 30: Tens of thousands of Egyptians take to the streets nationwide determined to oust the president on the anniversary of his turbulent first year in power. At least 16 people die in protests across the country.

July 1: The opposition gives President Morsi a day to quit or face civil disobedience. The Tamarod calls on "the army, the police and the judiciary to clearly side with the popular will as represented by the crowds".

Egypt's armed forces warn that it will intervene if the people's demands are not met within 48 hours.

July 2: The presidency rejects the army's ultimatum, saying it will pursue his own plans for national reconciliation.

Foreign minister Kamel Amr becomes the sixth member of Mr Morsi's cabinet to resign.

US President Barack Obama calls on Mr Morsi to respond to the protests and resolve the crisis through "political process".

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MPs' Pay: Cameron Warns Against Big Rise

David Cameron has called for restraint on MPs' pay amid rumours they are in line for a bumper rise.

The Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (Ipsa) is reported to be looking at an increase of around £7,500 or 15% which would take salaries to £75,000.

But the Prime Minister has insisted making Westminster more expensive to the taxpayer would be "unthinkable".

"Whatever Ipsa recommends, we can't see the cost of politics or Westminster going up. We should see the cost of Westminster go down," he said.

"Anything would be unthinkable unless the cost of politics was frozen and cut, so I'll wait and see what Ipsa have to say. What I said to Ipsa was that restraint is necessary."

Ipsa is due to announce the findings of a fundamental review into pay and perks later this month, although the main changes will not take effect until after the next general election.

David Cameron wants costs to go down

A survey released by the watchdog earlier this year found most MPs wanted to be paid £86,000, although some demanded more than £100,000.

Even the smaller rise of £7,500 would take their salaries to almost three times the national average of £26,500 and is likely to provoke public anger.

Taxpayers' salaries have risen by just 0.6% on average this year and many are struggling to cope with the rise in the cost of living.

The coalition has also enforced a major squeeze on public sector pay, with salary freezes and new measures in the Spending Review to scrap automatic rises.

Some argue that a significant increase is necessary to compensate for the clampdown on second-home expenses and to attract top quality people into Parliament.

But party leaders fear any such move would play very badly with the public, who are being hit by drastic austerity measures and meagre pay rises.

Matthew Sinclair, chief executive of the TaxPayers' Alliance, said: "MPs are already very well paid both in terms of European politicians and the average salary in this country.

"It would be particularly egregious for politicians to be handed a whopping great pay rise while hard-pressed taxpayers tighten their own belts.

"Ipsa must recognise that its own polling shows the public simply do not support an increase, nor would it be consistent for MPs to take a rise while rightly freezing pay elsewhere in the public sector."

Mr Cameron's comments came after sources close to Labour signalled leader Ed Miliband would make MPs accept a 1% pay rise if he won power in 2015.

However, the Government has little power to block the move because control of MPs' pay was handed to Ipsa after the expenses scandal.

Cabinet Office minister Francis Maude told Sky's Murnaghan programme on Sunday: "MPs' pay is a matter actually not even for Parliament these days.

"It's a matter for the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority that was set up in the wake of the expenses scandal."

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Nineteen Firefighters Die In Arizona Wildfire

A team of 19 elite firefighters have been killed while battling a fast-moving wildfire in Arizona.

The firefighters, 18 of whom are believed to have been from the specially-trained Granite Mountain Hotshots, were caught by the blaze near the central town of Yarnell.

They were hailed as "heroes" by US President Barack Obama, who said they "selflessly put themselves in harm's way to protect the lives and property of fellow citizens they would never meet".

The firefighters were confronted by a fast-moving blaze

The wildlife is the deadliest involving fatalities to fire crews since a blaze at Griffith Park, Los Angeles, nearly 70 years ago, according to figures from the National Fire Protection Association.

"We're devastated," Prescott Fire Chief Dan Fraijo said. "We've just lost 19 of the finest people you'll ever meet."

Hotshot crews often hike long distances and carry chainsaws and backpacks filled with heavy gear to build lines of protection between people and fires.

They were forced to deploy their emergency shelters when confronted by the blaze.

"One of the last fail safe methods that a firefighter can do under those conditions is literally to dig as much as they can down and cover themselves with a protective … fire-resistant material," Mr Frajo said.

"The hope at least is that the fire will burn over the top of them and they can survive it. Under certain conditions there's ... a 50% chance they survive.

"It's an extreme measure that's taken under the absolute worst conditions."

Messages of condolence for the families of those who died have been left on a Facebook page set up in their memory.

Strong winds and low humidity allowed the blaze to spread quickly

"This awful tragedy really reminds us how dangerous a job firefighters have," wrote Lakyn Spivey. "They go to work every day to save lives, not knowing if they themselves will be coming home that day."

Natalie Minafore added: "My son is a firefighter and I cannot imagine the heartache these families must feel. These men are heroes."

Arizona Governor Jan Brewer said the state had endured "as dark a day" as she could remember.

"It may be days or longer before an investigation reveals how this tragedy occurred, but the essence we already know in our hearts is that fighting fires is dangerous work," she said.

Hundreds of homes have been destroyed by the fire

According to local newspaper The Republic, around 250 homes - roughly half the town of Yarnell - were destroyed by the wildlife.

Federal government is assisting and President Obama pledged to provide state and local officials with all the support they need.

The blaze, which broke out on Friday, is thought to have been triggered by a lightning strike.

Hot, gusty winds blew the fire out of control over the weekend, as flames ripped through 2,000 acres of dry land.

More follows...

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Meat From Diseased Cattle Sold By Defra

Meat from cattle slaughtered after testing positive for bovine tuberculosis (bTB) is being sold for human consumption by Defra, the food and farming ministry has said.

The meat is banned by most supermarkets and burger chains, The Sunday Times reported.

Tesco, for example, rejects it because of "public-health concerns surrounding the issue of bTB and its risk to consumers".

But carcasses from around 28,000 diseased animals are sold to caterers and food processors every year.

The meat then finds its way into schools, hospitals and the military, or is used in products such as pies and pasties, the newspaper said.

A Defra spokeswoman said: "All meat from cattle slaughtered due to bovine TB must undergo rigorous food safety checks before it can be passed fit for consumption.

"The Food Standards Agency has confirmed there are no known cases where TB has been transmitted through eating meat and the risk of infection from eating meat, even if raw or undercooked, remains extremely low."

The meat is sold with no warning to processors or consumers that it comes from bTB infected cattle.

Asked whether the public should know whether or not the meat they are buying originated from an infected cow, a spokeswoman for the Food Standards Agency said: "The public do not need to know anything more about that meat other than it is fit for human consumption."

If an inspection of a carcass reveals tuberculous lesions in more than one organ or region it is declared unfit for human consumption and destroyed, she explained.

But if only the lymph nodes in one organ or part of the carcass is infected, then that area is removed and the rest is considered safe to enter the food chain.

She added: "Cooking this meat would be an additional safety step, but we would emphasise the risk even before cooking is very low."

The Sunday Times claimed Defra's reassurances contrasted with experts' warnings that rising levels of bTB in cattle are becoming a serious threat to human health.

Such claims have been used to justify a cull of tens of thousands of badgers which are said by some to help spread the disease between cattle.

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Egypt Anniversary: Mass Demonstrations Expected

Mass demonstrations are expected across Egypt today - a year to the day since Mohamed Morsi came to power.

In Cairo, thousands of people gathered on Tahrir Square, the seat of the uprising of 2011. Others gathered outside the presidential palace several miles away, which was under heavy guard.

Liberal leaders say nearly half the voting population - 22 million people - have signed a petition calling for change.

But Mr Morsi's Muslim Brotherhood and militant allies pledge to defend what they say is the legitimate order.

Several people have been killed and hundreds wounded in days of street fighting across the country.

Yesterday, an American student who was killed during violent clashes in the Mediterranean city of Alexandria, was identified as Andrew Pochter, 21, from Maryland.

Andrew Pochter was killed in Alexandria

Mr Morsi calls opponents bad losers backed by "thugs" from the rule of Hosni Mubarak.

He is banking on the "Tamarud - Rebel!" coalition fizzling out, as other challenges in the streets have done since he took power a year ago today.

An economic crisis deepened by unrest and political deadlock may spur many less partisan Egyptians to join the rallies, due to start in the afternoon in Cairo.

But many, too, are weary of turmoil and are sceptical that the opposition's demand to reset the rules of the new democracy is better than soldiering on.

Recent days have seen intense street fighting

US President Barack Obama called on Egyptians to focus on dialogue. His ambassador to Egypt has angered the opposition by suggesting protests are not helping the economy.

Liberal leaders, fractious and defeated in a series of ballots last year, hope that by putting millions on the streets they can force Mr Morsi to relent.

Religious authorities have warned of "civil war".

The army has said it will step in if violence gets out of control but insists it will respect the "will of the people".

Mr Morsi, who on Saturday met the head of the military he appointed last year, interprets that to mean army support for election results.

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World's First Three-Parent Baby May Be British

By Frazer Maude, Sky News Reporter

Britain may become the first country in the world to allow babies with three genetic parents to be born.

A landmark decision by the Department of Health has opened the door to controversial treatments for inherited diseases that use donated DNA from a second donor mother.

The Department of Health has announced that the Government intends to publish draft regulations later this year in a public consultation about the IVF-based techniques to eradicate Mitochondrial Diseases.

The new regulations to fertility law allowing the procedures will be issued for consultation and then debated in Parliament.

Should MPs find the regulations ethically acceptable, the first patients could be treated within months.

It is envisaged that between five and 10 three-parent babies would be born in Britain each year.

The aim of the IVF treatments is to stamp out serious Mitochondrial Diseases which can be passed from a mother to her children.

Mitochondria replacement involves transferring nuclear genetic material from a mother's egg or embryo into a donor egg or embryo that has had its nuclear DNA removed.

This would allow a woman carrying Mitochondrial Diseases to have healthy children.

Around one in 200 babies are born each year in the UK with defects in the mitochondria, rod-like bodies that supply cells with energy.

One in 6,500 is seriously affected and can suffer potentially life-threatening diseases including a form of muscular dystrophy.

Chief Medical Officer Professor Dame Sally Davies said: "Mitochondrial Disease, including heart disease, liver disease, loss of muscle co-ordination and other serious conditions like muscular dystrophy, can have a devastating impact on the people who inherit it.

"People who have it live with debilitating illness, and women who are affected face passing it on to their children. It's only right that we look to introduce this life-saving treatment as soon as we can."

Allowing the currently illegal techniques would mark a turning point. At present only unadulterated sperm and eggs can be used for assisted reproduction treatments.

Professor Doug Turnbull, one of the leaders of the research project based at Newcastle University, said: "I am delighted that the Government is moving forward with publishing draft regulations this year and a final version for debate in Parliament next year."

One of those affected with Mitochondrial Disease is Nicola Parker.

Ms Parker did not know she had Mitochondrial Myopathy, a condition which reduces her energy levels and restricts her movement, until she had already passed it on to her daughter.

She told Sky News: "No parent would ever want to pass on an illness to their child, so this work should be applauded. It means my daughter could now have the chance of being a mother herself one day, without having to take the risk of this genetic condition being passed on again."

But some people think the techniques are ethically questionable.

The ethical issue is that the techniques will result in a tiny trace of DNA from the donor egg's mitochondria remaining, effectively creating a baby with three genetic parents.

Josephine Quintavalle, founder of the group Comment on Reproductive Ethics (CORE), thinks the creation of children with genetic material from more than two people is incompatible with both human dignity and international law.

"We're obviously outraged, but it's not just my outrage and the outrage of many people in the United Kingdom - it's worldwide.

"People just mustn't sit back comfortably and think this is a great idea; we're going to cure disease and get better.

"It's crossing a line that many, many experts in ethics and genetics and scientists generally are very concerned about worldwide."

Dame Sally said: "There are clearly some sensitive issues here, but it's clear there is general support to allow these treatments subject to strict safeguards. So what we're going to do is move forward."

The researchers at Newcastle University say they need to carry out more tests on human eggs in order to make sure the techniques are proven and safe.

In order to speed up that process they are asking potential donors in the North East to contact them.

Details can be found at www.ncl.ac.uk/eggdonate.

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