Asked by: Bob Blackman (Conservative - Harrow East)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the latest statistics published in NHS England’s Monthly Provider Based Data and Summaries, what assessment he has made of the effect of the covid-19 outbreak on the number of referrals for suspected prostate cancer; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
No formal assessment has been made.
Asked by: Bob Blackman (Conservative - Harrow East)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, which external organisations his Department is working with and in what capacity, to assess the efficacy of continuing the practice of early medical abortions by post; which of those organisations have a financial interest in providing abortion services; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government committed to undertake a public consultation on whether to make permanent the temporary measure allowing for home use of both pills for early medical abortion up to 10 weeks gestation for all eligible women. The consultation has now closed and we will be considering all evidence submitted and plan to publish our response later this year.
An external company is contracted by the Department to undertake independent analysis of consultation responses. They are supporting the impartial analysis of responses to the consultation on the temporary approval.
Asked by: Bob Blackman (Conservative - Harrow East)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
When he plans to publish an updated Tobacco Control Plan.
Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Government’s new Tobacco Control Plan will be published later this year.
It will set out a comprehensive package of ambitious policy proposals and supporting regulatory changes, to meet our ambition to be smoke free by 2030.
Asked by: Bob Blackman (Conservative - Harrow East)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether all electronic mail communications since and including 26 March 2020 by (a) Ministers and (b) officials in his Department with abortion providers on policy issues has been via official Departmental electronic mail addresses; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
All email communications with abortions providers on policy issues is conducted through official Departmental email addresses. All ministers are aware of the guidance around personal email usage and Government business is conducted in line with that guidance
Asked by: Bob Blackman (Conservative - Harrow East)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what advice his Department has provided to coroners on women who are prescribed early medical abortion pills by post and medicate with them beyond the 10 week legal and licensing limit; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department has not provided such advice.
Asked by: Bob Blackman (Conservative - Harrow East)
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 calls to abortion providers in response to complications arising from early medical abortions are adequately followed up by those providers; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department’s Standard Operating Procedures, which all independent abortion providers must comply with, set out that all providers should have protocols in place covering support for women following an abortion procedure.
Abortion providers will discuss possible complications with the woman during the consultation and women will be provided with written advice and information about possible symptoms, including those which would necessitate urgent review. Women have access to a 24 hour telephone helpline should they have any concerns.
Asked by: Bob Blackman (Conservative - Harrow East)
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 breaches of the regulations for home abortions as set out in the temporary provisions under the Coronavirus Act 2020 relating to sections 1.3 and 3(A) of the Abortion Act 1967 are reported to police in a timely manner by healthcare staff; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Healthcare staff providing care to women accessing abortions should ensure that relevant processes are in place to identify and report breaches of the Abortion Act 1967 and the Required Standard Operating Procedures. Decisions to bring a prosecution in relation to the law on abortion are for the police and the Crown Prosecution Service.
Asked by: Bob Blackman (Conservative - Harrow East)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the procedures are for healthcare staff to register and report breaches of the regulations for home abortions as set out in the temporary provisions under the Coronavirus Act 2020; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Healthcare staff providing care to women accessing abortions should ensure that relevant processes are in place to identify and report breaches of the Abortion Act 1967 and the Required Standard Operating Procedures. Decisions to bring a prosecution in relation to the law on abortion are for the police and the Crown Prosecution Service.
Asked by: Bob Blackman (Conservative - Harrow East)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has plans, in the 2021-22 parliamentary session, to repeal the regulations for home abortions as set out in the temporary provisions under the Coronavirus Act 2020; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government committed to undertake a public consultation on whether to make permanent the temporary measure. The consultation has now closed and we are considering all evidence submitted and plan to publish our response later this year. We will keep the current measures in place until evidence collected during the consultation has been analysed and Ministers have made a decision on the future of the temporary approval.
Asked by: Bob Blackman (Conservative - Harrow East)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has plans to collect data on retained products of conception arising from terminations in respect of the implementation of the regulations for home abortions as set out in the temporary provisions under the Coronavirus Act 2020; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Helen Whately - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Scoping of the Department’s project to review the system of recording abortion complications data is currently underway and we anticipate this work will be completed later this year. The review will cover all data on complications arising from abortion.
To improve the accuracy of the data collected, the Department will work closely with a range of statutory bodies, professional organisations and abortion providers to identify additional sources of information that could be used to complement complications data collected via HSA4 abortion notification forms and improve the flow of data on abortion complications between different organisations, such as independent and National Health Service abortion providers and wider health and care services.