Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many (a) pregnancies and (b) abortions involving girls under the age of 16 have been reported by (i) NHS and (ii) independent abortion providers to (A) the police and (B) local authority safeguarding teams in each of the past five years; and what steps his Department is taking to help ensure that all such cases involving potential (1) rape and (2) sexual exploitation are being (a) referred, (b) investigated, and (c) prosecuted.

Information on the number of pregnancies and abortions involving girls under the age of 16 years old that have been reported by National Health Service and independent abortion providers is held by the police and local authority safeguarding teams.

We recognise the devastating impact sexual violence can have. The Government is committed to tackling rape and sexual offences and achieving the best possible outcome for victims. We expect every sexual offence to be treated seriously from the point of disclosure, every victim to be treated with dignity, and every investigation and prosecution to be conducted thoroughly and professionally.

The Tackling Child Sexual Abuse Progress, published in April 2025, set out clearly the actions the Government is taking to respond to the final recommendations of the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse’s report. This includes the introduction of mandatory reporting, requiring individuals working with children, including health professionals, to report child sexual abuse when they are made aware of it.

National mandatory safeguarding training for all NHS staff is being strengthened for launch in early 2026. This will reinforce to staff their safeguarding responsibilities and support them in identifying and responding to victims of abuse.

Safeguarding is an essential aspect of abortion care, and abortion providers are required to have effective arrangements in place to safeguard children accessing their services. Providers must ensure that all staff are trained to recognise the signs of potential abuse and coercion and to know how to respond. In addition, the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health has published national safeguarding guidance for children under 18 years old accessing early medical abortion services, which aims to ensure that robust safeguarding processes are embedded in all services. We expect all providers to have due regard to this guidance.

Decisions to investigate and bring prosecutions in England and Wales are for the police and Crown Prosecution Service respectively.