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THE MYSTERY OF THE E111
90
Talking Politics THE MYSTERY OF THE
physician. Mr Carter’s constituent thanked them all pains and went on her way fortified by their assurance that in six months of British membership of the E.E.C., she was only the ninth citizen of the great city of Birmingham who had exercised her right for their
Ell1
THERE wasn’t exactly full-hearted consent (to use Mr Heath’s famous phrase) when we entered the European Community; but now that we’ve had six months inside, the general mood, to judge from most of the available evidence, has become more unenthusiastic still. There was a poll in the Times last week showing that only 23% of those interviewed thought we should stay in on the present terms (the figure last January was 31 %) and that 29% (compared with 15 % in January) thought we should pull out altogether.
That’s perhaps not surprising, for it has largely been the unacceptable face of European membership which has been mirrored in newspaper headlines these last few months: VAT and CAP, each with its inflationary effects on prices in the shops, for instance, or the ever-present threat of the European juggernauts on our roads. And for lovers of economic statistics, there is the laggard pace of our growth of exports to Europe, compared with our exports to the United States and Japan; or the disheartening gap between the readiness of British companies to invest in Europe and that of European companies to invest here. Now there could, of course, have been just as much sombre soul-searching if the attempt to get in had failed: Norway, for instance, which on the basis of a referendum decided to stay out, is now as unhappy about its isolation as we are about our inclusion. But it’s also possible that the required mood of fervent enthusiasm, which was to have been kindled by the Festival of Europe last January, but which seems in reality to have spread little beyond Mr Heath, Lord Goodman, and a select and affluent few, might have been more widespread if some of the advantages of our membership were better advertised. Mr Ray Carter, Labour member for the Northfield division of Birmingham, and the man who did most to draw public attention to the V and G insurance scandal, has just come across a case of exactly this kind. One of his constituents, planning a holiday in Paris, rang her host, a member of the Embassy staff, and
surprised to be told: don’t forget to bring your What, she asked, was an Elll ? A form, it appeared, which opened the door to treatment in the hospitals of our continental partners, if not free of charge, then at least on the same terms as the nationals was
Elll.
of the country concerned. Mr Carter’s constituent made her way to the Department of Health’s offices in Birmingham, where (she says) she met an incomprehension about the existence of the Elll which was the equal of her own. After diligent inquiries, she was told that what she really needed was a CM1, because it was only by filling in a CM1 that she could get the Elll she needed. Oh, and then of course she mustn’t set foot outside the country without her SA28, which turned out to be a booklet telling you in general terms what you could do with your Elll if in due course of time you needed the services of a Common Market
to
draw
an
Bill.
Mr Carter told the story of his constituent in one of those late-night adjournment debates which never get reported because they occur at the wrong time: on the night in question the House had been debating Ireland, and it must regretfully be recorded that there is nothing quite like an Irish debate for emptying the chamber nowadays. His main concerns were two: that the arrangements for medical cover in E.E.C. countries should be better publicised; and that the large numbers of people now exempted from the scheme should be brought in as soon as possible.
The Minister, Mr Michael Alison, Under-Secretary of State at the D.H.S.S., said there had been a certain amount of publicity already: the Government publication, Europe-a checklist, in October, 1972, had given details of it; there had been a Press statement, and a letter to the Association of British Travel Agents. But the dreadful truth of the matter is that the streets of the Northfield division of Birmingham are thronged with people who have never read Europe-a checklist, and who have paid for this grievous omission by being kept in ignorance of form Elll. As for the travel agents, Mr Carter suspected that they had failed to publicise the scheme because it might take away business from the holiday insurance business, with which, he believed, they were in some kind of cahoots.
the exemptions: self-employed without people regular employment, students: people, add in their dependants, and you got several million people (Mr Carter’s latest estimate is about 7 million) who were exempted from the provisions. The Minister, much to Mr Carter’s delight, agreed with him on this: I assure the honourable gentleit is our intention to do all we " that he man ", said, from our of can, position strength within the Community as a full member, to secure an extension of the provision to the self-employed." Mr Alison added: " There is now a long-term trend within the older Community countries towards the inclusion of the self-employed categories within the national insurance But
even worse were
"
schemes. It is far from the fruition and fulfilment of our a movement which is now under way. We shall push against this open door."
standards, but it is
What Mr Carter would like to see now is large posters in the travel agents’ offices drawing attention to the rights of travellers to the other eight E.E.C. countries, with supplies of the Elll and its attendant forms and booklets to match. There are other places too where notices about the scheme might usefully be displayed: dare one suggest doctors’ surgeries ? But if the pushing on open doors to which the Department of Health is pledged succeeds in getting results, it is likely to come too late for Mr Carter. He is taking his holidays in France this year: but M.P.s,
unhappily,
rank
as
self-employed. DAVID MCKIE.
Talking Politics THE MYSTERY OF THE
physician. Mr Carter’s constituent thanked them all pains and went on her way fortified by their assurance that in six months of British membership of the E.E.C., she was only the ninth citizen of the great city of Birmingham who had exercised her right for their
Ell1
THERE wasn’t exactly full-hearted consent (to use Mr Heath’s famous phrase) when we entered the European Community; but now that we’ve had six months inside, the general mood, to judge from most of the available evidence, has become more unenthusiastic still. There was a poll in the Times last week showing that only 23% of those interviewed thought we should stay in on the present terms (the figure last January was 31 %) and that 29% (compared with 15 % in January) thought we should pull out altogether.
That’s perhaps not surprising, for it has largely been the unacceptable face of European membership which has been mirrored in newspaper headlines these last few months: VAT and CAP, each with its inflationary effects on prices in the shops, for instance, or the ever-present threat of the European juggernauts on our roads. And for lovers of economic statistics, there is the laggard pace of our growth of exports to Europe, compared with our exports to the United States and Japan; or the disheartening gap between the readiness of British companies to invest in Europe and that of European companies to invest here. Now there could, of course, have been just as much sombre soul-searching if the attempt to get in had failed: Norway, for instance, which on the basis of a referendum decided to stay out, is now as unhappy about its isolation as we are about our inclusion. But it’s also possible that the required mood of fervent enthusiasm, which was to have been kindled by the Festival of Europe last January, but which seems in reality to have spread little beyond Mr Heath, Lord Goodman, and a select and affluent few, might have been more widespread if some of the advantages of our membership were better advertised. Mr Ray Carter, Labour member for the Northfield division of Birmingham, and the man who did most to draw public attention to the V and G insurance scandal, has just come across a case of exactly this kind. One of his constituents, planning a holiday in Paris, rang her host, a member of the Embassy staff, and
surprised to be told: don’t forget to bring your What, she asked, was an Elll ? A form, it appeared, which opened the door to treatment in the hospitals of our continental partners, if not free of charge, then at least on the same terms as the nationals was
Elll.
of the country concerned. Mr Carter’s constituent made her way to the Department of Health’s offices in Birmingham, where (she says) she met an incomprehension about the existence of the Elll which was the equal of her own. After diligent inquiries, she was told that what she really needed was a CM1, because it was only by filling in a CM1 that she could get the Elll she needed. Oh, and then of course she mustn’t set foot outside the country without her SA28, which turned out to be a booklet telling you in general terms what you could do with your Elll if in due course of time you needed the services of a Common Market
to
draw
an
Bill.
Mr Carter told the story of his constituent in one of those late-night adjournment debates which never get reported because they occur at the wrong time: on the night in question the House had been debating Ireland, and it must regretfully be recorded that there is nothing quite like an Irish debate for emptying the chamber nowadays. His main concerns were two: that the arrangements for medical cover in E.E.C. countries should be better publicised; and that the large numbers of people now exempted from the scheme should be brought in as soon as possible.
The Minister, Mr Michael Alison, Under-Secretary of State at the D.H.S.S., said there had been a certain amount of publicity already: the Government publication, Europe-a checklist, in October, 1972, had given details of it; there had been a Press statement, and a letter to the Association of British Travel Agents. But the dreadful truth of the matter is that the streets of the Northfield division of Birmingham are thronged with people who have never read Europe-a checklist, and who have paid for this grievous omission by being kept in ignorance of form Elll. As for the travel agents, Mr Carter suspected that they had failed to publicise the scheme because it might take away business from the holiday insurance business, with which, he believed, they were in some kind of cahoots.
the exemptions: self-employed without people regular employment, students: people, add in their dependants, and you got several million people (Mr Carter’s latest estimate is about 7 million) who were exempted from the provisions. The Minister, much to Mr Carter’s delight, agreed with him on this: I assure the honourable gentleit is our intention to do all we " that he man ", said, from our of can, position strength within the Community as a full member, to secure an extension of the provision to the self-employed." Mr Alison added: " There is now a long-term trend within the older Community countries towards the inclusion of the self-employed categories within the national insurance But
even worse were
"
schemes. It is far from the fruition and fulfilment of our a movement which is now under way. We shall push against this open door."
standards, but it is
What Mr Carter would like to see now is large posters in the travel agents’ offices drawing attention to the rights of travellers to the other eight E.E.C. countries, with supplies of the Elll and its attendant forms and booklets to match. There are other places too where notices about the scheme might usefully be displayed: dare one suggest doctors’ surgeries ? But if the pushing on open doors to which the Department of Health is pledged succeeds in getting results, it is likely to come too late for Mr Carter. He is taking his holidays in France this year: but M.P.s,
unhappily,
rank
as
self-employed. DAVID MCKIE.