Asked by: Fiona Bruce (Conservative - Congleton)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure that women who take abortion pills at home have not been coerced.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
During a consultation prior to treatment commencing, women are clearly informed that medical abortion is a two-stage process which requires the administration of Mifepristone followed by Misoprostol to successfully complete the procedure.
Safeguarding is an essential component of abortion services, and individual providers must ensure that all staff are trained in recognising signs of potential abuse and know how to respond in accordance with Required Standard Operating Procedure 7 and Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists guidance.
Abuse of the temporary measures by the passing on or selling of abortion pills remains unlawful and subject to criminal sanctions.
Asked by: Fiona Bruce (Conservative - Congleton)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure that abortion pills to be taken at home are taken by the intended recipient.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
During a consultation prior to treatment commencing, women are clearly informed that medical abortion is a two-stage process which requires the administration of Mifepristone followed by Misoprostol to successfully complete the procedure.
Safeguarding is an essential component of abortion services, and individual providers must ensure that all staff are trained in recognising signs of potential abuse and know how to respond in accordance with Required Standard Operating Procedure 7 and Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists guidance.
Abuse of the temporary measures by the passing on or selling of abortion pills remains unlawful and subject to criminal sanctions.
Asked by: Fiona Bruce (Conservative - Congleton)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure that women who take abortion pills at home understand the risks of doing so.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists has issued clinical guidelines for healthcare professionals on ‘Coronavirus infection and abortion care’. The guidance states that written information should be provided or available to women prior to the consultation. Prior to treatment commencing, women will be clearly informed that medical abortion is a two-stage process which requires the administration of Mifepristone followed by Misoprostol to successfully complete the procedure.
Abortion providers will also discuss possible complications with the woman in the consultation, and women will be provided with information about possible symptoms, including those which would necessitate urgent review.
Asked by: Fiona Bruce (Conservative - Congleton)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of trends in the level of alcohol use during the covid-19 lockdown.
Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
It is too early to make any assessment of the level of alcohol use during the COVID-19 outbreak. The Department is working with Public Health England and NHS England and NHS Improvement and stakeholders to monitor indicators to track any behaviour change.
Asked by: Fiona Bruce (Conservative - Congleton)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to prevent a rise in alcohol use during the covid-19 outbreak.
Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Public Health England (PHE) published advice and information for the public on looking after their mental health and wellbeing during the COVID-19 outbreak, which recommends people avoid using alcohol. Throughout the COVID-19 outbreak alcohol treatment providers are continuing to support and treat people misusing alcohol. The guidance can be viewed at the following link:
PHE continues to maintain the FRANK website and helpline, which provides a service for people who are concerned about their own or others’ alcohol consumption. The website can be accessed at the following link:
Asked by: Fiona Bruce (Conservative - Congleton)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many women per 1,000 resident women have had an abortion. in each of the last five years.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The abortion rate per 1,000 women for 2015 to 2018 is available in the attached table.
Abortion statistics can be found at the following link:
https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/abortion-statistics-for-england-and-wales
The Code of Practice outlined in the Statistics and Registration Service Act 2007 prohibits the pre-release of official statistics before the due date of publication. Data on the abortion rate per 1,000 women in 2019 is still being collected and requires full quality assurance prior to release. Data for 2019 is due to be published on 11 June.
Asked by: Fiona Bruce (Conservative - Congleton)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many complications were reported after (a) medical abortions and (b) surgical abortions in (i) 2017, (ii) 2018 and (iii) 2019.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The number of complications reported after medical and surgical abortions in 2017 and 2018 is available in the attached table.
Data on complications should be treated with caution as it is not possible to fully verify complications recorded on HSA4 forms. In addition, complications that occur after discharge may not be recorded.
Abortion statistics for 2017 and 2018 are available at the following links:
https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/abortion-statistics-for-england-and-wales-2018
https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/abortion-statistics-for-england-and-wales-2017
The Code of Practice outlined in the Statistics and Registration Service Act 2007 prohibits the pre-release of official statistics before the due date of publication. Data on complications in 2019 is still being collected and requires full quality assurance prior to release. Data for 2019 is due to be published on 11 June.
Asked by: Fiona Bruce (Conservative - Congleton)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the oral contribution of the Minister of Care of 17 March 2020, Official Report column 274-275WH, when the roundtable on low and no alcohol products will meet; and how many public health experts will be invited to take part; and which other organisations (a) have been and (b) will be invited.
Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Plans to hold a roundtable meeting on low and no alcohol products have been put on hold due to the COVID-19 pandemic taking Government priority. The Department, Public Health England and representatives from the alcohol industry will meet at a later date to discuss proposals outlined in the prevention Green Paper on how industry can deliver a significant increase in the availability of alcohol-free and low-alcohol products by 2025.
Asked by: Fiona Bruce (Conservative - Congleton)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the number of women with complications following an abortion at a (a) British Pregnancy Advisory Service and (b) Marie Stopes International clinic between July (i) 2017 and (ii) 2019.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Data on the number of women with complications following an abortion at a British Pregnancy Advisory Service and Marie Stopes International clinic between 1 July 2017 and 31 December 2018 is attached. The Code of Practice outlined in the Statistics and Registration Service Act 2007 prohibits the pre-release of official statistics before the due date of publication. Data on the number of complications following an abortion in 2019 is still being collected and requires full quality assurance prior to release. Data for 2019 will be published on 11 June at 9:30am.
Asked by: Fiona Bruce (Conservative - Congleton)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the abortion rate was for 18-19 year old women per 1,000 in (a) 2017, (b) 2018 and (c) 2019.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The abortion rate per 1,000 women aged 18 to 19 years in 2017 and 2018 is available in the attached table.
Abortion statistics for 2017 and 2018 are available at the following links:
https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/abortion-statistics-for-england-and-wales-2018
https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/abortion-statistics-for-england-and-wales-2017
The Code of Practice outlined in the Statistics and Registration Service Act 2007 prohibits the pre-release of official statistics before the due date of publication. Data on the abortion rate per 1,000 women aged 18 to 19 years in 2019 is still being collected and requires full quality assurance prior to release. Data for 2019 is due to be published on 11 June.