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order and safety are also important issues. We must consider whether, having considered all those aspects, need also constitutes a criterion.It is true that some pubs have closed in recent years, but there are still 13,500 more licensed premises than there were 10 years ago. The recent changes are the result of the changing commercial pattern and changes in living habits. The proportion of the population who were accustomed to going to traditional pubs has fallen, and more people now consume alcohol at home within the family environment, and look to different forms of leisure and entertainment. It should help the licensed trade, the tourist industry and other sectors if we update the licensing laws, make them more flexible and allow alcohol to be consumed in a greater variety of premises.
The hon. Gentleman stressed the importance of undertaking the widest possible consultation, and I agree with him strongly about that. A weakness of public consultation in this country is that, all too often, the only responses that the Government receive are from predictable, often legitimate, vested interest lobbies. It is difficult to achieve a genuine consultation process that involves the general--the man and woman in the street. We need to receive the public response to our proposals, together with the responses of vested interest groups.
Several Hon. Members rose --
Madam Speaker : Before calling other hon. Members to speak, may I ask for brisk questions and answers, as the statement is eating into today's debate ?
Mr. Harry Greenway (Ealing, North) : I congratulate my right hon and learned Friend on his statement, which will help to resolve the problems of the serious increase in drinking by the under-nines that was highlighted in a recent report--the numbers have doubled in recent years.
Will my right hon. and learned Friend consider the important issue of public houses being able to stay open longer ? Only three months into the single market, 10 per cent. of the drinks brought to this country by one means or another come from the European Community. There has been no prosecution, and there are no proper guidelines on that subject. What can be done about that ? If we do nothing, there will be no pubs left.
Mr. Clarke : Customs and Excise should be enforcing the law against abuses of the single market provisions that have come into effect. I share my hon. Friend's concern about the impact that the changes are having, particularly on the south of England. My proposals should enable us to counter those effects to some extent if they enable the owners of English licensed premises to contemplate more attractive and up-to-date ways of offering alcohol for sale--undoubtedly, home-sold alcohol.
Mr. Paul Tyler (North Cornwall) : While welcoming in principle the move to lay down criteria in statute, I share the caution already expressed and wish to make three specific points. First, will the Home Secretary look again at the complicated and confusing rules relating to types of drink? Secondly, does he propose to look again at the extension of licensing hours as a follow-on from today's statement? Thirdly, will he comment on the need to tighten up the measures relating to the provision of alcohol to
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drivers? Is it not time to consider incorporating into law some undertaking to enable the licensee to take away the car keys of a driver to whom he is selling alcohol?Mr. Clarke : I am not sure what the hon. Gentleman means when he speaks of the confusion over types of alcohol. If he writes to me, I will give him a considered response.
I am not canvassing further changes in licensing hours in the consultation document, as the hours were changed only recently and I am not aware of any widespread demand to reconsider them. I anticipate that people will respond to many aspects of the licensing laws once the document goes out to consultation, and we will consider the responses.
There is far more respect now for the breathalyser and drink-driving laws, and there has been a welcome change in the public's attitude. We are always looking at ways to improve the enforcement of the law, and I shall certainly consider the hon. Gentleman's suggestions, although they are essentially matters for the Department of Transport.
Mr. Barry Field (Isle of Wight) : My right hon. and learned Friend's announcement today will be warmly welcomed. As he probably appreciates, the Isle of Wight licensing bench is one of the largest in the country. I believe that its clerk has, from time to time, advised my right hon. and learned Friend's Department on regulations.
One of my constituents, Mrs. Sketcher, has had her licence refused only this week. Her premises are unusual, but highly popular with visiting yachtsmen from the East Cowes marina. The island attracts many overseas visitors to events such as Cowes week, and they can never understand the peculiar licensing laws affecting who can enter pubs in this country.
Is there any possibility of today's announcement dealing with the serious restriction on the off-licence trade imposed by the Sunday licensing hours operating only between 12 noon and 2 pm, which is a cause of great irritation to visiting yachtsmen to the Isle of Wight who cannot restock their victuals in time to catch the start of a race?
Mr. Clarke : I think that our licensing laws have been a source of bewilderment to most overseas visitors for many years, but they are improving and are less confusing than they were. I think that the Isle of Wight will undoubtedly benefit from the changes that we are canvassing. The proposals will make clear the grounds on which licences can be refused and, in some cases, will allow discretion to be exercised.
I would not presume to comment on the premises in the marina mentioned by my hon. Friend, about which I am sure the Isle of Wight licensing justices know more than I do. We are not canvassing further changes in the licensing hours, as the House discussed that subject only five years ago. If the response to the consultation document reveals a widespread feeling of the sort anticipated by my hon. Friend, we shall consider including that subject the next time the House considers legislation on licensing laws.
Mr. Dennis Skinner (Bolsover) : Is there any truth in the rumour that today's statement should have been made yesterday, but the Home Secretary could not get to the House of Commons as he was stuck at Cheltenham guzzling ale?
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Does the Home Secretary realise that some people in the House and many outside believe that, the last time the law was changed, it marked a retrograde step, and that the present proposals will make matters even worse? The idea of taking young kids into cafe s and other places when they are 13 and 14 years of age and educating them on drinking is nonsense. The Government will be putting it on the national curriculum next--but that is about as much as we can expect from a Government who are concerned not about the social fabric of society but about putting money in the pockets of brewers, who then transfer it to the Tory party. What can we expect from this place, when there are 16 pubs in the Houses of Parliament?Mr. Clarke : First of all, not a drop of ale passed my lips yesterday at Cheltenham, which seemed a suitable place in which to celebrate my right hon. Friend's Budget, which was being discussed in the House. It received a warm welcome among the crowds at Cheltenham and elsewhere, and I have returned to my duties today.
The hon. Member for Bolsover (Mr. Skinner) said that the reforms of five years ago were widely unpopular. As so often, he is completely out of touch with public opinion, and reactionary and out of date in his views, which are not in tune with modern society. His idea that we propose introducing children to traditional pubs shows a complete misunderstanding. Justices will not give children's certificates unless they are satisfied that the setting is suitable. But the hon. Gentleman must be one of the few people who defends the idea of families sitting on a sunny day in the garden of a public house in a perfectly civilised setting enjoying their day out and then, if it rains, not being allowed to take their children into the building even though there may be a perfectly suitable part of it in which children could be introduced to liquor in civilised surroundings or spend time with their families.
Consultation always gets more than one reaction, but I think that the hon. Gentleman's reaction is that of an embittered, left-wing and rather out-of- date reactionary.
Mr. Simon Coombs (Swindon) : I welcome my right hon. and learned Friend's recognition of the needs of families with two parents and children who can be introduced with no danger to public houses and other places where liquor is available. May I draw to his attention the real problems resulting from older teenagers, perhaps from broken families, who tend to drink in pubs until late at night and then go out into communities smashing shop windows, urinating in gardens and causing a hullabaloo that disturbs the peace of law-abiding citizens? Will the consultation exercise consider such problems? If not, we shall be failing our electors.
Mr. Clarke : I agree with my hon. Friend that the problem of alcohol abuse of all kinds is closely connected with a great deal of crime, with large numbers of social problems, and with quite a bit of disorder. Traditionally, the licensed house was a pub--often a pleasant and civilised place of the sort to which many of us doubtless go. But the tradition was also one of male heavy drinking, rushing towards early closing time. Nowadays, there is the additional complication of teenagers drinking strong lagers in the kind of setting that my hon. Friend describes.
The consultation document does offer the prospect of a more civilised approach. The sort of premises encouraged by what we are canvassing are those where families will be present--that is, people of all sexes, and children--and
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where their children, only if accompanied, will be able to enter settings which the licence justices have been satisfied are the right sort, where families can have a meal, snack or other refreshment together. In itself, the exercise will not tackle the real problems that my hon. Friend describes, but it is certainly a step in the right direction, towards introducing more civilised drinking habits to this country.Mr. John D. Taylor (Strangford) : Northern Ireland is often considered here to be a restrictive society, but in many ways we have always been ahead of England and Wales in our licensing legislation. I had the honour as a Minister to introduce a major reform of licensing more than 20 years ago in Stormont. One of the provisions was to allow drinking in public houses from 11 am right through to 11 pm.
The Minister referred to cafe -style licences. Will alcohol be sold in these cafe s to people who are not having a meal? If so, will not that be a retrograde form of unfair competition with public houses, which make a major contribution to local government finance and which have to fulfil strict criteria to be given a licence? It seems that these cafe s will be able to sell alcohol and be, in effect, public houses without a bar.
Mr. Clarke : I acknowledge the right hon. Gentleman's first point. In the mid-1970s, I tried to introduce a private Member's Bill on licensing --it included the idea of children's certificates and cafe -style licences- -and it was greeted by huge opposition, on the ground that we were about to take the nation's children to alcoholic ruin. Since then, Northern Ireland has had the experience of licensing reform. Scotland led the way with licensing reform, but it took the English many years to discover that reform had led to improvements in the social climate surrounding licensed premises in Northern Ireland and in Scotland. So we are catching up slightly.
Experience in Scotland of children's certificates and of cafe -style licences has generally been regarded as beneficial. I was wrong to refer earlier to 1,000 cafe -style licences. I should have referred to about 1,000 children's certificates being issued in Scotland. Rather fewer cafe - style licences have been granted. We shall have to look into what difficulties there may have been. Cafe -style licences will involve alcohol being sold with or without meals. For such licences, it is necessary that food and non-alcoholic drinks should be available as well, making such cafes like tearooms or continental cafes, in which some people will be having food, others drink, others non-alcoholic drinks, and so on. Children can be brought in, and there will be competition, although it will not be unfair competition. This will widen consumer choice and increase the number of outlets. Such outlets will be particularly attractive in areas frequented by tourists.
Lady Olga Maitland (Sutton and Cheam) : I warmly congratulate my right hon. and learned Friend on updating a very outdated system. That will be welcomed especially by families. I hope that the idea of parents leaving their children at home is now a thing of the past. I should like to ask the Home Secretary to clarify his answer to the hon. Member for Cornwall, North (Mr. Tyler). Will both wines and spirits be served in family areas, or will only wine be served, bearing in mind that children will be present?
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Mr. Clarke : No, children's areas will sell the same range of alcohols as are sold in the rest of licensed premises. The children's certificate will allow accompanied younger children to go to these areas, because the licensing justice is satisfied that they are suitable parts of pubs or restaurants for children to be taken to. There is no question of a children's certificate restricting the sort of alcohol that adults can consume in these areas.
Mr. Tony Banks (Newham, North-West) : May I take the Home Secretary back to the question directed to him by his hon. Friend the Member for Ealing, North (Mr. Greenway)--about the vast amount of alcohol coming into this country through cross-border shopping? He said that that could be dealt with by making premises more attractive, but the fact is that it is the price that attracts the booze, not the circumstances in which it is drunk. We have a bootlegging industry in this country ; it is of concern to the licensed trade and to everyone else, because much of the drink is being sold on. What will the right hon. and learned Gentleman do about this thriving bootlegging industry which has sprung up, especially in the south of the country?
Mr. Clarke : Customs and Excise will enforce the law against imports of liquor which break regulations and go beyond the single market arrangements which allow people to bring in drink for their own consumption. Operating a single market within which there is differing taxation on various goods will always promote scope for smuggling. That is what the Customs and Excise are for : to take action against such smuggling.
Because there is such a wide discrepancy in the duty on spirits, my right hon. Friend the Chancellor felt restricted when it came to raising duty on spirits. The country could have done with the revenue, but we have to be alert to the need to reduce the incentive for smuggling, which will certainly be tackled with all vigour by the Customs and Excise.
Mr. Robert Banks (Harrogate) : I also warmly welcome today's statement. Can my right hon. and learned Friend confirm that one of the lessons of the relaxation of licensing laws in Scotland has been that fewer cases of drunkenness have been reported? Will he further agree that many visitors to this country find that London and our other great cities close down at 11 o'clock, which inconveniences them? Will he elaborate on the flexibility of hours and on the possibility of extending drinking times in pubs?
Mr. Clarke : Certainly the impact of Scottish licensing reform in the 1970s was wholly beneficial when it came to directly drink-related offences. In the light of that, we introduced the reforms in England five years ago. I am not sure how much further measurable improvement has resulted from cafe licences and children's licences, but I think that the general reaction in Scotland is that they were
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a further beneficial step which improved Scottish drinking habits--as I hope they will eventually improve English drinking habits as well.We will consider representations about the 11 o'clock factor, if we receive any, although we are not canvassing further views on hours. There are plenty of licensed clubs available after 11 o'clock, and I am sure that my hon. Friend would like us to consider whether there may be undesirable effects arising out of the fact that only certain types of premises stay open after 11 pm, attracting large numbers of young people, whereas ordinary premises close then.
We are moving step by step. At the moment, changes in the hours are not a further step that we are contemplating.
Mr. Harry Barnes (Derbyshire, North-East) : When pub landlords decide what facilities to provide, they do not have to consider just the state of the law and the market. They also have to consider the considerable pressure that the brewers place upon them. Will the consultations take into account the link between brewers and landlords and the considerable pressures that landlords are under?
Mr. Clarke : There will be nothing in my consultation document about that. The complex relationship between brewers and landlords is affected more by the changes to the landlord and tenant law, the effect of the untying of premises and so on. That is changing considerably the world of the licensed premises. However, it is not for me to intervene in the relationship between brewers and their tenants. I hope that the changes that we are canvassing will benefit customers by producing an ever-wider range of choice and type of premises available.
Mr. Gyles Brandreth (City of Chester) : My right hon. and learned Friend's statement will be welcomed by the tourist industry. In the context of this morning's debate, we have been talking about product development. Cafe bars and children's certificates will be particularly relevant. Can my right hon. and learned Friend reassure me that the tourist industry will be involved in the consultation process, and that its input will be very much taken into consideration?
Mr. Clarke : I hope that the tourist industry will respond strongly. I share my hon. Friend's views. The growth of the tourist industry is extremely important to this country. As a result of the devaluation of the exchange rate, we need to see a very considerable surge in tourism, which is potentially one of the major sources of new employment that we can hope to see.
I shall be amazed if the tourist industry does not welcome my proposals. I hope that it will respond with vigour to counter any doubting voices. If we implement these proposals, I see great potential for expanding employment and for improving the attractiveness of those places that bring in foreign visitors.
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Tourism
11.31 am
Questioned again proposed, That this House do now adjourn.
Dr. Lynne Jones : Like many of those hon. Members who have spoken during the last half hour, I agree that the Home Secretary's proposals will help our tourist industry. Furthermore, as the mother of two young sons, I welcome them. During the 10 years that I have been a parent, it has become obvious to me that families with children are made much more welcome abroad when they visit cafe s and restaurants than they are in this country. Anything that encourages families to spend more of their leisure time together is an excellent idea.
There can be no greater pleasure than seeing a parent playing snooker or darts with his or her 10, 11 or 12-year-old child. That is far better than children being left on their own on the streets, and being bored, while the parent goes off to drink with other adults. We in this country seem not to like children very much. Adults appear to think that, to get the most enjoyment out of life, their leisure time should be spent away from, rather than with, their children. Therefore, I welcome these proposals, which I hope will encourage families to spend more time together.
We all agree that tourism is important to our economy. Although that is not the main burden of my speech this morning, even a city such as Birmingham is conscious of the need to attract visitors. My hon. Friends and I are, however, concerned about the low rates of pay that many workers in the service industries have to put up with. We do not agree that the introduction of a minimum wage would be harmful. As my hon. Friend the Member for Stalybridge and Hyde (Mr. Pendry) said, countries such as France that have a minimum wage are the most popular tourist destinations. According to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, France attracts the largest amount of foreign investment. Growth in foreign investment there in recent years has outstripped growth in this country.
Therefore, we do not accept the pronouncements of those who sit on the Treasury Bench. The Department of Employment published information that linked minimum wages and employment and provided 26 references, of which only 10 established a link between minimum wages and unemployment. Most of the information showed that the opposite was the case. It suggested that, provided that minimum wages were not out of step with other wage rates in the economy, they could promote employment.
It is about time we knocked on the head the idea that our policies on the social chapter and a minimum wage are detrimental to the economy and employment. If some of the low-paid workers in my constituency were paid a little more, they might be able to buy some of the goods and services that their fellow citizens are producing and thus help to ensure that they keep their jobs.
I want to take this opportunity--something which has delayed my return to my children this morning--to refer to holiday insurance, particularly the insurance cover provided when British tourists fall ill or sustain injuries while abroad. Hon. Members may, like me, have been on package holidays abroad, for which they have taken out insurance. We often do so without thinking. We accept the
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insurance policy that is offered by the travel agent, or which comes as part of the holiday package, without thinking too much of the consequences. The experiences of some of my constituents and others who have contacted me suggest that we should take more care. Last year, 12 million people took out holiday insurance cover, and 800,000 of them made a claim--a quarter of them for medical bills. According to a survey carried out by the magazine Which? , of over 56,000 of their readers, 18 per cent. suffered illness or accident while abroad.Many of us, when we go abroad, also heed the advice in the Department of Health booklet "Health Advice for Travellers". It explains the reciprocal arrangements, under form E111, for mainly European Community countries and also Gibraltar. The booklet refers to a range of medical care that is available under the reciprocal arrangements and says that, outside EC countries, the health services that are likely to be provided will be less than those we can expect under the national health service and that only urgent treatment is likely to be provided.
Quite rightly, that booklet encourages tourists to take out insurance. It says :
"No matter where you are travelling, the cost of medical treatment may not be fully covered by any existing reciprocal health care agreements--make sure you have adequate private medical insurance." Furthermore, it advises people to check the small print. The booklet gives the impression that to take out medical insurance is all one has to do for peace of mind.
Unfortunately, as my constituent, Dorothy Savage, found to her cost, that was not the case. This lady went to Malta for a Christmas holiday. While she was there, she unfortunately contracted gastro-enteritis. Apparently, there was an epidemic in the island at the time, about which she had not been warned. She was taken to St. Luke's hospital in Malta. In hospitals such as St. Luke's the standard of care that is available even to people who have taken out insurance is, unfortunately, far less that that which we might expect here.
I have seen photographs taken by Mrs. Savage's daughter of the conditions in that hospital. They were far from hygienic. The linen was torn and not in a very good state. Most important of all, the majority of nursing care in such hospitals has to be carried out by friends and relatives of the patient.
One evening, after Mrs. Savage's daughter had had an exhausting day looking after her mother and had decided that her mother was well settled and that she could go back to her hotel to get some rest, some problems unfortunately arose. Mrs. Savage was left without any attention. After she had called for a bed pan, she waited for six hours ; she hoped for some assistance, but none came. Eventually, she tried to get out of bed on her own. Unfortunately, she slipped and broke her leg. When her daughter returned early next morning, she found that her mother was not in the usual place, and that she had undergone emergency treatment.
Miss Savage immediately contacted the tourist representative, who put her in touch with the medical insurance representative. Seven or eight days later, that representative contacted her, during which time her mother had been kept in quite appalling conditions without adequate care. She was left without a catheter in urine-soaked sheets, which would not have been changed
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if her daughter had not changed them. When Mrs. Savage was provided with a catheter, it was not changed throughout her three-week stay. Insurance policies often claim that air ambulance repatriation is available, which Miss Savage tried to arrange for her mother. It was not available, but Mrs. Savage was taken home on a scheduled flight on a stretcher across three seats that had been booked for the purpose. Unfortunately, when she arrived at the airport, Mrs. Savage started haemorrhaging and the pilot would not allow the necessary drip on to the plane. The medical adviser, Dr. Angel--unfortunately, he did not administer angelic treatment for Mrs. Savage--advised that she should not travel without a drip, which, I am sure hon. Members will agree, is fairly basic medical epuipment.Mrs. Savage was flown home two weeks after the incident. Despite her broken leg, she was forced to sit upright, the medical adviser having instructed that her plaster be removed above the knee. Sadly, when she returned to the United Kingdom, her condition deteriorated rapidly and she died.
Mrs. Savage's family had expected their family holiday insurance to cover them for treatment in a better hospital and better transport home. Mrs. Savage is not alive--directly, in my view, as a result of the unfortunate events that took place during her holiday. A couple from Perry Barr in Birmingham were on holiday in Malta. The lady was knocked down by a Maltese driver and admitted to the same hospital as Mrs. Savage. Nursing care, again, was non-existent. She suffered multiple fractures to her leg, which was operated on and put in plaster. She experienced severe pain following the operation due to excessive swelling. The stitches burst as a result and her leg became ulcerated.
Unfortunately, the insurance agent was not helpful. He tried to return the lady home more quickly than he should have, because he was worried that the couple might sue the driver who knocked them down, for which his company would have had to pay. That couple had to return on a scheduled flight, with the lady's leg in plaster. She still suffers problems as a result of the medical treatment that she received in Malta.
Vera Willey was admitted to Clinica Benidorm with a chest infection. Her companion was not allowed to stay with her and had to return to Britain. She was left alone for 13 days as her daughter, who was in the United Kingdom, was unable to arrange a flight home. She was finally flown home in a Swiss air ambulance 13 days later and admitted to Dudley road hospital. Her treatment was delayed because the only documentation that she had with her was in Spanish. Having seen a translation, the medical adviser recommended that Mrs. Willey should be transported by air ambulance, which took 13 days to arrange.
Again, sadly, that lady died a day after she returned to the United Kingdom. her bed sores were down to her bones, and her chest area and arms were bruised from flooded intravenous drips and injections. She had been very frightened during her stay, and had received no bilingual assistance.
Molly and Frank Hudman were on holiday in Sorrento when a wall collapsed on them. Mrs. Hudman was badly injured and had several broken ribs. Fortunately, her husband received only superficial injuries. When they were
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in hospital in Sorrento, they had to rely on the relatives of other patients for basic medical care--to watch them during the night and to provide bed pans and drinks. They were able to communicate only because one of the patients in the ward spoke good English. I have discovered that, in countries such as Malta, Italy and Greece, it is normal for nursing care to be provided by relatives and friends rather than by the hospital.In other countries, it seems that people who are taken ill are almost forced to have unnecessary treatment. "Watchdog" recently broadcast cases in which people who had been on holiday in Tenerife and Spain were forced to undergo unnecessary medical treatment. Ann Caldwell, a nurse, was admitted to Clinic San Eugenio in Tenerife suffering from a stomach infection. She was given an electrocardiograph and an abdominal X-ray without checking to see whether she was pregnant. She was an infectious patient, yet she was put in a ward next to a girl recovering from surgery.
George Deeley from Leamington Spa was admitted to the same clinic with a cut nose. He was put on a drip, confined to hospital for several days and given surgery against his will. Unfortunately, he had handed over his flight tickets and pasport to hospital officials, as requested, who refused to return them until he had complied with the treatment. He and his wife were frightened by the experience. Another hospital in Spain sought permission from the medical assistance company to carry out a complicated operation for which the surgeon had received no training and had seen only a video tape. Spain has two types of hospital--the public hospitals, which generally offer high standards of medical care but perhaps less comfortable surroundings, and private clinics. It seems that British tourists who have medical insurance are encouraged to undergo private treatment, whereas they would probably receive better treatment under the normal reciprocal health care arrangements.
I have taken up those cases with the insurance industry, and would like to comment on some of the information that it has provided. The Association of British Insurers says that it is well known that medical facilities in some parts of the world may not always be of a standard that we have come to expect in this country. That is accepted, but, according to the advice issued by the Department of Health, it is the very reason why people take out medical insurance. The association says that, although insurers will do all they can to ensure that the medical treatment arranged is of the highest standards available in the locality, it is not in a position to guarantee or influence the standard of health care available. It would be useful if it included that advice in the information that it gives its customers. The same applies to other aspects of the policies.
In responding to my questions about the use of air ambulances, Commercial Union said that there was a great deal of misunderstanding among the general public--including general practitioners--about exactly what an air ambulance is. The perceived impression of the policy holder is of an aircraft fitted with emergency medical equipment and constantly on standby, similar to road ambulances. In fact, that is not the case.
Air ambulances tend to be executive jets with the seats removed. The medical equipment taken on board the plane is exactly the same as if repatriation were to occur by
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scheduled or even chartered air liners. Commercial Union also said that air ambulances should perhaps more correctly be termed "air taxis".Mr. Barry Field (Isle of Wight) : The hon. Lady makes an important point about repatriation from overseas. I have an interest in this issue, as declared in the Register of Members' Interests. She might be interested to know that the Foreign Office recommends only two companies for the repatriation of remains from overseas, which gives rise to a considerable increase in the costs to insurance companies. That is one reason why holiday insurance is becoming so expensive. Despite the endeavours of myself and others to try to expand the information issued by consulates and embassies across the world, the Foreign Office has been quite difficult about allowing the information to be expanded to include other companies within the United Kingdom.
Dr. Jones : I thank the hon. Member for his intervention. However, the Department of Health makes no recommendations about insurance companies. There are a number of policies available, and I shall refer later to the practice of companies when selling those policies.
A company called Home and Overseas Insurance also responded to my questions. It said that air ambulances are usually used only in life or death cases, and that patients can be transported on life support machines with the plane equipped as a mini-intensive care unit. I contacted one of the companies that provides such a service and was finally convinced that air ambulances really exist. The company in question runs three, which are executive turbo-props. About 150 cases a year are flown home using that service. That is rather different from the impression given about the availability of such a service. The company states that air ambulance planes are usually very small and cramped and, for European journeys, often do not have even toilet facilities. It believes that some members of the public may have a "glamour vision" of what an air ambulance is, but such planes are less comfortable than scheduled flights and often have to make a couple of stops for refuelling, which can be unhelpful and perhaps even a matter of life and death in itself when transporting urgent cases. Other insurance companies to which we wrote responded in similar terms.
Why has that information, which the industry has made available to me, not been made more widely available? Why is it not contained in the brochures? Other services offered in many insurance policies and in many brochures include multi-language assistance and co-ordination. The cases that have been drawn to my attention suggest that such a service is not widely available, or, if it is, is used only in very rare cases or is available to a limited extent. Under the package tour regulations, brochures are required to contain information about health formalities, including optional travel insurance, but those requirements need to be strengthened if the reality of the services available in the countries to which I have referred is to be brought home to people who, in the words of the insurance policies, believe that they have peace of mind when they pay their premium. It would also be welcome if the Government would consider providing local authorities with additional resources to enforce the regulations.
Only the day before yesterday, the Office of Fair Trading highlighted the malpractice occurring in the sale
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of insurance policies. As I have done in the past, people often buy the insurance policy that comes with their package, not knowing that the tour organisation is getting up to 40 per cent. commission for arranging the policy. The travel agent may seem disinclined to point out that cheaper, and perhaps even more comprehensive, policies are available which really offer an air ambulance service.There are also exclusions in many policies, which are not drawn to people's attention or which are in very small print. Under the Jetset comprehensive travel insurance, the definition of an injury is one which occurs fortuitously but does not include an injury caused by, or which results from, sickness, disease or a gradually degenerating illness. People with medical problems should have such exclusion clauses drawn to their attention, but, judging from the cases pointed out to me, that does not happen.
The hon. Member for Isle of Wight (Mr. Field) said that cheaper policies were available. A reader of The Times wrote from London to say that, if she had booked her holiday insurance with her package, she would have been charged £29, plus £12 for an over-65 surcharge, but that, by shopping around, she was able to get insurance cover for £15.50. That individual was shopping around for a better price, not to find out exactly what cover would be provided if she were unfortunately to fall ill or have an accident.
Another letter that I received from a lady in Cheshire states that an insurance company refused to pay back a deposit of more than £300. She had unfortunately had to cancel her holiday because her husband was unwell after heart surgery. She had tried to complain to the insurance ombudsman, but the company was not a member of the insurance ombudsman's bureau, so she was unable to get help from that source. Perhaps the Government should reconsider their decision not to make an arbitration scheme similar to that run by the insurance ombudsman compulsory, so that citizens such as that lady receive a proper service.
I have attempted to draw attention to the problems that can occur when people go abroad. I have drawn attention to the fact that many hospitals abroad rely heavily on patients, family and friends for basic care such as washing or even feeding patients, for providing and changing bedpans and even for the provision of basic items such as toilet paper. I have mentioned the misleading and--to use the industry's words--"glamour" image created by the brochures of the availability of air ambulances. I hope that, as a result, the public at large will be more aware of the problems and that the industry itself will take note and provide better information.
I should like to encourage the Government to review the booklet containing information about travelling abroad and to ensure that it gives more information about the health services available abroad. The Government should also correct the impression given by the booklet that, by taking out medical insurance, a holidaymaker is not dependent on the medical care available for the rest of the population at their holiday destination.
Some of the issues that I have raised, especially about the way in which descriptions give misleading impressions and about the way in which insurance is sold--sometimes by agents who do not even have copies of the policy available--suggest that the Government should consider the operation of the holiday insurance industry. I hope that the Government will take note of those points and that they will take whatever action is needed to ensure
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that, when British citizens go abroad, they get the treatment they would expect in this country, or, if that is not available, that they are flown back to the United Kingdom in suitable aircraft and in a way that is not detrimental to their health.11.59 pm
Mr. Harold Elletson (Blackpool, North) : As the representative of Britain's, if not Europe's, leading tourist resort, I feel today rather like the king of the jungle. I am surrounded by hon. Friends and hon. Members who represent lesser tourist resorts. I feel like a lion surrounded by alley cats-- [Interruption.]
Mr. Pendry : That went down well.
Mr. Elletson : I thought that it would. My comment went down well with the hon. Member for Stalybridge and Hyde (Mr. Pendry) who made kind remarks about the great resort of Blackpool. I know that he has often visited the town and I was especially grateful for what he said about the partnership between the local authority and the private sector. He mentioned a number of examples, especially the development of the new football super stadium. I know that the hon. Gentleman has visited Blackpool football club when the team have played somewhat better than has been the case recently.
As the hon. Member for Stalybridge and Hyde said, this is the first tourism debate in the House for five years. I and some of my hon. Friends are a little disappointed that the hon. Member for Birmingham, Selly Oak (Dr. Jones) should have spoken for almost half an hour on overseas tourism. That may be of great concern to many of her constituents, but her speech frustrated the opportunity for many of my hon. Friends to raise subjects relating to the far more important issue of the state of the British tourism industry.
Mr. Jessel : Is not the answer that the hon. Member for Selly Oak should tell her constituents to take their holidays in Britain? They could, thereby, if they fell ill, take advantage of our excellent national health service and boost the tourism industry in Britain, which is what we are supposed to be doing today.
Mr. Elletson : I entirely agree with my hon. Friend. It would have been more appropriate for the hon. Member for Selly Oak to raise the topic in an Adjournment debate.
Dr. Lynne Jones : By raising the issue, I may encourage more people to stay in this country, which would be welcome. However, many people choose to take their holidays abroad and it is important that when they do so, potential problems should be drawn to their attention. The information provided in booklets, such as that produced by the Government, should be adequate. The Government have a responsibility in the matter.
Mr. Elletson : I am sure that the hon. Lady has a point, but I believe that there are more appropriate occasions for making it than a debate on British tourism and the problems faced by the industry.
Mr. Deputy Speaker (Mr. Geoffrey Lofthouse) : Order. I draw to the hon. Gentleman's attention the fact that the debate is not purely on British tourism.
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