THE MINISTER of State for Europe, Foreign and Commonwealth office, Chris Bryant, . . . more . . .

Her Majesty’s Ambassador to Spain, Giles Paxman LVO, Martin Fitches, country Manager Pensions, benefits and Healthcare team and the Vice Consul from Alicante Lloyd Milen formed the panel at a meeting held in the Cabo Cervera hotel in La Mata last weekend. The purpose of the meeting was to give British residents in the area the opportunity to put questions of concern particularly to the Minister.
There had been an opportunity to register questions to be tabled at the meeting beforehand and the room was nearly full to capacity with around 200 people in attendance.
It has been a difficult period for foreign residents in Spain over the last few years starting with problems over illegal houses which are still ongoing and, more recently, as far as those living in the Valencia region are concerned, with the removal of free healthcare for the so called early retirees. This, coupled with the significant drop in the exchange rate between the pound and the euro, rising prices and unemployment has led to many British people struggling to make ends meet.
A number have returned to the UK, unable to continue living in Spain and the audience were clearly feeling battered, bruised and somewhat neglected.
Chris Bryant probably expected that from the questions submitted and introduced himself by saying that he had lived in Spain when he was younger for several years and he remembered how it sometimes felt as if the home country has abandoned you. He said he was present to listen and he had wanted to come to Spain to find out for himself what almost a million Britains were feeling and experiencing.
It was a short visit to the region and later he was to meet with troubled residents in the Albox area as well as Spanish politicians before having to return to Parliament on Monday. “I haven’t got a magic wand I am not gong to be able to resolve anything here today…..I know sometimes there is a real sense of frustration because you want us to do more and as a Minister I have to decide what is the real priority. What’s the thing it’s most important to get sorted amongst the issues here in Spain and that’s got to be an area where legally we can do something, practically we can do something and where we have got the resources to be able to make a difference.”
The questions had been organised into areas and the meeting started off with perhaps the hottest potato of all in the Valencian region, the health system. The first question was posed by Mr Johnson who asked why it was if he had paid into the social system in the UK for all his life he could not now get health care either here in Spain or in the UK. The Minister pointed out that the Valencian authorities had made the decision themselves to put the free system in place and when that was withdrawn the British Embassy team did their best to get an alternative offer, which is the system where people have to pay a quarterly fee to be included in the health system. “I fully understand that there are people who feel very angry, including a lot of people in this room, that they were promised something by the Spanish authorities and that that has now been withdrawn.
I have absolutely no power, nor does Giles, nor does Gordon Brown, nor would any government in the UK to tell the Spaniards to change their healthcare system.”
He said it is true that there are some people who are not covered by the present heath arrangements, a gap, “I’d love to be able to stand here and tell you that yes we are going to change the law to do that but the honest truth is that we don’t have the money in the UK .. and I don’t think any government in the UK is going to be changing that in the future.”
One man in the audience asked was it right for a foreigner to come into Britain and immediately get health care. The Minister reminded everyone that the UK health system is based on residency so that as soon as someone has a valid address in the country they can receive healthcare. There was a strong feeling in the audience that the British government was ignoring the plight of its citizens over this issue and, over the apparent lack of money, dismay from one lady that money had been sent abroad.
“You have sent it to Africa, to Mugabe. When there are Brits suffering why are we subsidising countries around the world and leaving the Brits who have paid into the system all of their lives with nothing?”
The minister explained that the taxes that are paid in one particular year go to funding the health service for that year; there is no building up of pots for the future. He went on to say that in his opinion it was important that the richer countries in the world helped the poorer countries, “places where people literally starve to death and where more than 50% of the children don’t get to go to school at all.” He said that less than 1% of the revenue each year goes in this way.
The audience were not convinced by the arguments and clearly still felt aggrieved.
There were a number of questions about the EHIC Health card available for emergency treatment in Europe to those either on a state pension or those paying into the Spanish social system. The new legislation coming into force in April leaves those so called early retirees also out in the cold with no provision to be able to receive an EHIC card. It was stated that if you had previously been resident in the UK for at least 10 years then you would be able to receive emergency treatment back in the UK. The Minister did undertake to take up the case of one lady and her family affected by the change in Valencian policy and now excluded from the healthcare system as was her daughter. “We have had no heath cover since Christmas,” she said. “I implore you, children should be covered at least,” she concluded.
Discussion moved on to the issue of property with a question from a gentleman regarding the situation of illegal property in Catral. In fact it was more general than that and applied to illegal property all over Spain. He asked what the British government could do to help these people by bringing pressure to bear on the Spanish government and local authorities. The Minister said he had been trying to get cross to the Spanish authorities that all of the bad stories about Spain would make it less likely that people would want to come to the country, live here or remain here. He specifically said that it was unjust where there was no system of being able to get adequate compensation. A resident from Oasis mentioned the recent demands for payment from SUMA for new sewage systems asking whether it was legal to make the demands. There were some personal horror stories of varying treatment that people had experienced back in the UK trying to get emergency health treatment and the Minister promised to take those cases up.
Perhaps the final question was whether or not any of the matters that had been discussed and the views of the people present would get back to the British Government. “Does Gordon Brown get to hears about any of this?” one man asked.
Chris Bryant explained he would be following up on the specific issues that had been raised and he would be reporting back to his immediate boss David Milliband. “You have perfectly legitimate concerns and complaints and worries,” he said, “and I am taking them seriously and that’s why I am here…I believe it is important to take people’s concerns seriously even if people are very angry.”
There were thanks from the floor for the minister’s visit and his willingness to take part in the meeting and for listening to the issues raised.