Cost effectiveness and workability
There is a significant administrative cost associated with operating a charging regime. Given the high levels of destitution seen in some migrant communities, there is doubt that these costs can be recovered.
When the Joint Committee on Human Rights examined this issue in 2006-7, they concluded ‘No evidence has been provided to us to justify the charging policy, whether on the grounds of costs saving or of encouraging refused asylum seekers to leave the UK.
The cost benefits of implementing a suitable system must also be viewed in the light of a study showing that, in a borough with a high migrant population, it was estimated that approximately 100 GP visits across the borough might be chargeable equating to perhaps £3,000 of income.
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