Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the average waiting time for appointments for contraceptive advice at sexual and reproductive health services in each local authority was in England in each year since 2009-10; and what steps he is taking to reduce those waiting times.

Information on waiting times for appointments for contraceptive advice at sexual and reproductive health services is not collected centrally. Public Health England (PHE) published an action plan in August 2017 to address concerns identified in their report entitled Sexual health, reproductive health and HIV: a review of commissioning, which is available at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/640578/Sexual_health_reproductive_health_and_HIV_a_survey_of_commissioning.pdf

As part of the action plan, PHE will take forward a range of activities aimed at strengthening commissioning, including providing evidence and data to commissioners to support commissioning, and the monitoring of outcomes and building capacity and capability in sexual and reproductive health commissioning.