The National Health Service (Charges to Overseas Visitors) Regulations 2015

Victims of human trafficking

16.—(1) No charge may be made or recovered in respect of any relevant services provided to an overseas visitor, where a competent authority—

(a) has identified the overseas visitor as a victim of human trafficking; or

(b) considers that there are reasonable grounds to believe that the overseas visitor is a victim of human trafficking, and the recovery and reflection period in relation to that person under Article 13 of the Trafficking Convention has not yet expired.

(2) In this regulation—

“competent authority” means a designated competent authority of the United Kingdom for the purposes of the Trafficking Convention(1);

“Trafficking Convention” means the Council of Europe Convention on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings (agreed at Warsaw on 16th May 2005)(2);

“victim of human trafficking” means a victim within the meaning of Article 4 of the Trafficking Convention.

(1)

The designated competent authorities for the United Kingdom for the purposes of the Trafficking Convention are the Home Office (postal address: UKVI, Waterside Court, 471 Kirkstall Road, Leeds LS4 2QB) and the United Kingdom Human Trafficking Centre (postal address: UKHTC, PO Box 8000, London SE11 5EN).

(2)

Cm 8414. The Convention entered into force in respect of the United Kingdom on 1st April 2009.