It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mr Dowd. I, too, congratulate David Chadwick on securing this important debate.

In January, the Welsh mental health charity Llais reported to the Welsh Affairs Committee that

“15-20% of people living in Wales use NHS services in England. In the border counties, this percentage is far higher and can be nearer 50%.”

Existing provisions aim to ensure that no patient’s treatment is denied or delayed due to differing rules or funding responsibilities across health systems on either side of the Wales-England border. None the less, the British Medical Association reports significant issues in how these provisions are offered. These systems can be complicated for patients, who are not always clear about who is responsible when their care and treatment cross the border. People living in Wales continue to face a range of challenges if they need care and treatment in England. Llais’s evidence referred to issues around announcements made by the UK media covering England-only stories. It is not clear whether the announcements apply for the people who live in Wales.