Asked by: Diana Johnson (Labour - Kingston upon Hull North and Cottingham)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what timeframe he plans to agree with the Minister of Health in Northern Ireland on the introduction of a fully funded and commissioned abortion service; and what steps he is taking to ensure that service is made available.
Answered by Robin Walker
We made the Abortion Regulations in March 2020 - and remain disappointed with the continuing failure to commission abortion services that are consistent with the Regulations to ensure women and girls have safe local access to this healthcare service. While medical professionals have taken forward some service provision on the ground in Northern Ireland from last April and over 1,100 abortions have been provided to date, more needs to be done.
We have always said that we believe that the commissioning of services by the Department of Health would remain the most appropriate way to progress the matter. However, after a year of engaging to see positive progress made, with no success, the legal duties and moral obligations are such that we have taken further action.
The Abortion (Northern Ireland) Regulations 2021, which came into effect on 31 March 2021, give the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland a power to direct relevant Northern Ireland Ministers, departments and agencies to commission abortion services, consistent with the conditions set out in the 2020 Regulations.
We will not let progress be drawn out indefinitely. We are clear that we want to see concrete progress towards the commissioning of abortion services before summer recess, and if this is not achieved, we will not hesitate in issuing a direction immediately so direct action is taken so that the rights of women and girls can be properly upheld and they can have safe and lawful access to abortion services locally.
We will continue to engage with the Department of Health to try and find a way forward and will provide every opportunity to move forward with commissioning before we have to issue the direction.
Asked by: Diana Johnson (Labour - Kingston upon Hull North and Cottingham)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, whether his Department holds estimates of the number of women who have procured clandestine abortions since the establishment of a legal framework for abortion in Northern Ireland on 31 March 2020.
Answered by Robin Walker
It is vitally important that the Department of Health commission safe, local and accessible abortion services in Northern Ireland as soon as possible, otherwise there is a risk that women and girls turn to unofficial and often illegal healthcare options, without getting the appropriate advice or support.
I am not able to provide an estimate of the numbers of young women affected, but there are too many harrowing examples of people who have not been able to get access to healthcare in the right way. We need to ensure that women and girls in Northern Ireland, like those in the rest of the United Kingdom, have access to good quality advice and healthcare that takes into account their own individual needs. Crucial to this is the commissioning of abortion services in Northern Ireland.
The current situation, where services have not been formally commissioned, is not acceptable. If there continues to be no progress, the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland will issue a direction using his powers under the Abortion (Northern Ireland) Regulations 2021, to ensure that services are commissioned and delivered according to the 2018 Report of the Convention for the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women.
Asked by: Diana Johnson (Labour - Kingston upon Hull North and Cottingham)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how many women have travelled to the British mainland to receive abortion care since the establishment of a legal framework for abortion in Northern Ireland on 31 March 2020.
Answered by Robin Walker
The Department of Health and Social Care has now published the 2020 statistics on abortion in England and Wales. In 2020, there were 371 abortions in England and Wales for women from Northern Ireland.
I would note that over 1,100 women and girls have been able to access local abortion services since April last year - and this should not be overlooked at a time where the services have not been formally commissioned. It is, however, very distressing to hear that even throughout the Covid-19 pandemic, some women and girls have still been forced to travel, at a time where it is even more crucial for local access to healthcare to be available. I put on record my thanks to the medical professionals who have ensured that women and girls have had some access to abortion services in Northern Ireland to date, and the organisations that have supported this work.
However, progress must be made towards properly commissioning services so that safe, local abortion services are fully available as a healthcare service in Northern Ireland. The current situation is not acceptable. If there continues to be no progress, the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland will issue a direction using his powers under the Abortion (Northern Ireland) Regulations 2021, to ensure that services are commissioned and delivered according to the 2018 Report of the Convention for the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women.
Asked by: Diana Johnson (Labour - Kingston upon Hull North and Cottingham)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how many women have not been able to access in-country care as a result of the cessation of abortion services by the Northern Trust.
Answered by Robin Walker
I am pleased that since the Regulations we made came into effect from 31 March 2020, some abortion service provision has commenced on the ground in Northern Ireland through existing sexual and reproductive health clinics across most Health and Social Care Trusts. According to figures released by the Department of Health in October, over 719 abortions have been provided in Northern Ireland. The collection of notification forms, and relevant data, in Northern Ireland is a matter for the Northern Ireland Department of Health.
Informing Choices Northern Ireland has been acting as the Central Access Point in order to provide a local pathway to this abortion care. Women and girls resident in Northern Ireland also continue to have access to safe, fully-funded abortion services in England through the Government-funded scheme and remain able to contact the Central Booking Scheme for support and advice on options available in this regard.
The health and safety of women and girls remains paramount in accessing abortion services, and my department is continuing to engage closely with the Northern Ireland Health Minister and his department on progressing with the full commissioning of abortion services, consistent with the Regulations we made, at the earliest opportunity.