Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact of the increase in the number of children entering the UK who have been born through surrogacy in countries where commercial surrogacy operates on the UK's not-for-profit surrogacy framework.

The Department has not made an assessment of the potential impact of the increase in the number of children entering the United Kingdom who have been born through surrogacy in countries where commercial surrogacy operates, on the UK's not-for-profit surrogacy framework.

The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office have published advice for those considering surrogacy overseas, which is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/surrogacy-overseas/surrogacy-overseas

This clearly sets out the possible risks and the processes for returning to the UK with a child born through an international surrogacy arrangement.

The Department Health and Social Care does not hold any information on trends in the number of children born via surrogacy abroad, in particular in Kazakhstan and Nigeria.