Asked by: Maria Caulfield (Conservative - Lewes)
Question
To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, pursuant to the Written Statement of 23 October 2017, on equalities, HCWS192, whether her Department consulted with (a) Members of the Northern Ireland Assembly and (b) hon. Members on extending the Northern Ireland abortion scheme to include provision for free travel to an abortion provider in England for Northern Ireland residents from low income backgrounds before making that statement.
Answered by Anne Milton
The provision of abortion services in England for women from Northern Ireland is a matter for the Government. There is no legal requirement to consult on this specific aspect of the scheme, and no formal consultation took place. Patients in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland who meet financial hardship criteria are eligible for support with travel costs for NHS treatments. There is no justification to exclude women from Northern Ireland from this scheme.
This does not change the position in relation to the provision of abortions in Northern Ireland, which is a matter for the Northern Ireland Executive and the Northern Ireland Assembly. Our proposals do not include the provision of any services in Northern Ireland.
Asked by: Maria Caulfield (Conservative - Lewes)
Question
To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, pursuant to the Written Statement of 23 October 2017, on equalities, HCWS192, with which organisations she consulted on extending the Northern Ireland abortion scheme to include provision for free travel to an abortion provider in England for Northern Ireland residents from low income backgrounds before making that statement.
Answered by Anne Milton
The provision of abortion services in England for women from Northern Ireland is a matter for the Government. There is no legal requirement to consult on this specific aspect of the scheme, and no formal consultation took place. Patients in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland who meet financial hardship criteria are eligible for support with travel costs for NHS treatments. There is no justification to exclude women from Northern Ireland from this scheme.
This does not change the position in relation to the provision of abortions in Northern Ireland, which is a matter for the Northern Ireland Executive and the Northern Ireland Assembly. Our proposals do not include the provision of any services in Northern Ireland.
Asked by: Maria Caulfield (Conservative - Lewes)
Question
To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, pursuant to the Written Statement of 23 October 2017, on equalities, HCWS192, how many women her Department estimates will travel from Northern Ireland to England for an abortion in the (a) 2017-18, (b) 2018-19, (c) 2019-20 and (d) 2020-21 financial years.
Answered by Anne Milton
During 2016 over 700 women from Northern Ireland travelled to England for an abortion. We expect this number to rise initially.
Asked by: Maria Caulfield (Conservative - Lewes)
Question
To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, pursuant to the Written Statement of 23 October 2017, on Equalities, HCWS 192, what the estimated annual cost is of providing a central booking service for the provisions of free travel to an abortion provider in England for Northern Ireland residents in the (a) 2017-18, (b) 2018-19, (c) 2019-20 and (d) 2020-21 financial years.
Answered by Anne Milton
Grant applications to provide a central booking service are currently being considered by the Department of Health.
Asked by: Maria Caulfield (Conservative - Lewes)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what research his Department has commissioned on fetal pain in the last three years.
Answered by Jackie Doyle-Price
The Department funds the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) to improve the health and wealth of the nation. NIHR is a comprehensive health and social care research system which funds high quality early translational, clinical and applied research to improve health; trains and supports health researchers; provides world class research facilities; works with the life sciences industries and charities to benefit all; and involves patients and the public at every step. The Department has not commissioned research on foetal pain through the NIHR in the last three years.
Asked by: Maria Caulfield (Conservative - Lewes)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what account he plans to take of public opinion in his policy decisions on the time limits on abortions; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Jackie Doyle-Price
As with other matters of conscience, abortion is an issue on which the Government adopts a neutral stance.
Asked by: Maria Caulfield (Conservative - Lewes)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how much has been spent from the public purse on the provision of abortion in England in each of the last five years.
Answered by Jackie Doyle-Price
Information on public expenditure on the provision of abortion in England is not collected centrally.
Asked by: Maria Caulfield (Conservative - Lewes)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many abortions performed later than 24 weeks gestation received funding from the public purse in the 2016-17 financial year.
Answered by Jackie Doyle-Price
Abortion data is collected for calendar year, rather than financial year. Abortions undertaken at 24 weeks and over can only be carried out in an National Health Service hospital. In 2016, 221 NHS funded abortions were performed for residents of England and Wales at 24 weeks’ gestation or later. An additional five abortions at 24 weeks or later were carried out in NHS hospitals but were privately funded.
Asked by: Maria Caulfield (Conservative - Lewes)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether he plans to increase funding for the provision of practical support to women facing crisis pregnancies who want to keep their child.
Answered by Jackie Doyle-Price
Clinical commissioning groups are responsible for commissioning services locally to support women considering whether to continue their pregnancy. The Government’s Framework for Sexual Health Improvement in England (2013) sets out that women considering an abortion should be referred or signposted to services which provide impartial, accurate information and, if required, counselling on the options available. This includes National Health Service services and registered independent sector providers who can provide advice on the termination options available as well as information of alternatives to abortion.
The Framework is available on the gov.uk website at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/a-framework-for-sexual-health-improvement-in-england
Asked by: Maria Caulfield (Conservative - Lewes)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what plans the Government has for the representation of Northern Ireland at the negotiations on the UK leaving the EU in the absence of the Northern Ireland Executive.
Answered by Chloe Smith
We have made clear that we will negotiate as one UK for all parts of the United Kingdom. We are committed to ensuring that the unique circumstances of Northern Ireland are understood, protected and advanced. We are working to ensure that stable devolved government can resume because it is important that a Northern Ireland Executive can contribute to the debate.