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encourage them follow. A good way to fertilisephgidamong them is to let their nationals not only see, but use it.
5. What of the cost? It is important to differentiate between the resident alien--who is an ordinary citizen here, paying his contributions and dues-and the visiting alien, who is our real concern.
6. In 1948 there were 633,000 foreign visitors to the United Kingdom, and 95,000 stayed more than six months. The rest were holiday visitors (335,000), business visitors (90,000), and those in transit (65,000). The great majority would make little use of the service compared with our own use, being here for only a very short time. The average stay of all is probably less than a month, so that their total is equal to anything up to 50,000 fixed population, while their call on the service would be minimal compared with that of a settled population. Allow it, however, to be rather more than one-half of the normal call, this estimate would suggest about £200,000 (probably very much less) during 1949-50.
Possibilities of Reciprocal Arrangements
7. This all supports the policy of making no general restriction against the alien visitor. But, at the same time, we should clearly endeavour to get what- ever we reasonably can from other countries by reciprocal arrangements, and discussions to that purpose should be pressed.
8. Already some discussions have taken place, in a special Sub-Committee set up from the Social Security Sub-Committee and the Public Health Committee of the Official Committee. This is mentioned in paragraph 10 of the Report appended to C.P. (49) 131 dated 7th June, 1949. A draft Convention being con- sidered between the Brussels Treaty Powers provides broadly that each country will provide for nationals of the other countries in the same way as for their own-if (a) they are normally resident in that country and (b) they are indigent and without resources. There is provision for repatriation if assistance is likely to be long and costly and the person has been in that country less than five years, or has no close family attachments there.
9. Thus the present negotiations have only been dealing with resident aliens, not visitors, and then only with the indigent; and they have not really begun to tackle the main "visitor" problem. Nor, in the case of residents, are we likely to get much more from other countries as, to go beyond "indigence,' would be to give our resident nationals more than their own-which would be too much to expect.
For the same reason, if we start similar discussions on visitors," who are our real concern, we are probably not likely to get very much at present, as these "indigence tests" would automatically exclude the ordinary visitor, who would not be without resources.
10. Yet I still suggest that we should do whatever we can to widen the present negotiations and endeavour to cover both residents and visitors or at least visitors-on terms more favourable than we have yet reached. There is not much ground for optimism, perhaps, as it would be asking a country to do more for our visitors than they do for their own people, and it may well be that we get little as a result except some principle of reciprocity established. But the big thing is to keep the discussion going and to create a situation in which possibly some small concession might be obtained and might later lead to a more fruitful agreement.
11. It may be thought desirable also to open discussions with other Western countries not in the Brussels Treaty group, but this may follow more appropriately a little later. The best vehicle of discussion seems to be in the Public Health Committee, or its Sub-Committees, of the Official Committee. Already a meeting on other items is arranged for October in Luxembourg, which my officials are attending and at which they could, if desired, propose the inclusion of this subject in the next following meeting.
12. To sum up, it is suggested-
other Western subject through officials should brief" agreed
(a) that there should be an endeavour made to achieve some degree of
reciprocity with the Brussels Treaty Powers (and Powers in due course) by opening discussions on the Page 56ting organisation under that Treaty hot of
conduct any such discussions in the first place, on a with the Foreign Secretary;
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(b) that discussions should give most emphasis to the
visitor,
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forandfathe 578 of resident, and should press the point that as the visitor can get so much over here, other countries ought to try to offer some quid pro quo to our visitors to them;
(c) that no attempt be made to introduce any element of fee charging on our
side, as a make-weight for the better services which we offer.
13. Frankly, I expect little or nothing at the moment from such discussions. But they would have the value of helping to keep in view the quality of our own service and the inequality of what others had to offer; and they might become in time the basis of pressure to improve some of the services in the west of Europe with which we shall be most in contact.
14. If this is agreed in principle, I suggest that the more detailed aspects of method and machinery might be left to the Foreign Secretary and myself to settle.
Ministry of Health, S. W. 1,
14th September, 1949.
A. B.