Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, with reference to the Revised Standard Operating Procedures for the Approval of Independent Places for the Termination of Pregnancy, what steps he is taking to ensure that patients seeking abortion counselling are not subject to pressure to agree to the procedure as a result of his Department's requirement that abortion treatment must be delivered within 10 days of the first appointment; and if he will make a statement.

The Required Standard Operating Procedures make clear that women can choose to delay appointments/booked procedures and this should always override issues of timeliness.