Asked by: Lord Dodds of Duncairn (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what they are taking to ensure that women considering abortion are provided with comprehensive information on all available options, including parenting, adoption, and perinatal palliative care.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Women seeking abortion services must be given impartial, accurate, and evidence-based information so that they are able to make an informed choice about their preferred course of action.
The National Health Service website provides factual information on abortion, including directing people seeking impartial information and support to their general practice or to regulated organisations such as Brook, for under 25 year olds, the British Pregnancy Advisory Service, MSI Reproductive Health Choices UK, and National Unplanned Pregnancy Advisory Service. All the main abortion providers offer pregnancy counselling, which includes advice on options such as parenting and adoption.
Following a diagnosis of fetal anomaly, women and their partners must receive appropriate counselling and support. At no stage should there be a bias towards abortion. All staff involved in the care of a woman or couple facing a possible termination of pregnancy must adopt a nondirective, non-judgemental, and supportive approach. It should not be assumed that a woman will choose to have a termination, and a decision to continue with the pregnancy must be fully supported. In addition, the charity Antenatal Results and Choices offers information and support for people who have received a diagnosis after antenatal screening.
Asked by: Lord Dodds of Duncairn (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have made an assessment of potential impacts of the decriminalisation of abortion on (1) clinical safeguards, (2) informed consent procedures, (3) access to alternative support services, and (4) the protection of vulnerable women.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The House of Commons has voted to add a clause to the Crime and Policing Bill which disapplies the criminal offences related to abortion for a woman acting in relation to her own pregnancy. These offences would still apply to medical professionals and third parties who do not abide by the rules set out in the Abortion Act 1967. The bill will now continue its progress through Parliament.
Informed consent is separate from the requirements set by the Abortion Act for two doctors to certify that a woman meets the grounds for abortion. Consent to treatment means a person must give permission before they receive any type of medical treatment, test, or examination. For consent to be valid, it must be voluntary and informed, and the person consenting must have the capacity to make the decision. These principles will continue to apply irrespective of whether abortion is decriminalised.
As part of standards set by the Care Quality Commission, abortion services must be able to prove that they have processes in place to ensure that all women and girls are seeking services voluntarily. It will also remain a requirement for an abortion service, as laid out in the Department’s Required Standard Operating Procedures, that staff should be able to identify those who require more support than can be provided in the routine abortion service setting, for example young women, those with a pre-existing mental health condition, those who are subject to sexual violence or poor social support, or where there is evidence of coercion.
Safeguarding is an essential aspect of abortion care, and abortion providers are required to have effective arrangements in place to safeguard children and vulnerable adults accessing their services. Providers must ensure that all staff are trained to recognise the signs of potential abuse and coercion and know how to respond. In addition, the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health has published national safeguarding guidance for under-18 year olds 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.
The Department is continuing to monitor abortion related amendments to the Crime and Policing Bill and will consider whether current arrangements are sufficient or if additional guidance is needed.
Asked by: Lord Dodds of Duncairn (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the legal protections of unborn children in the event that abortion is decriminalised through the repeal of sections 58 and 59 of the Offences Against the Person Act 1861 and the Infant Life (Preservation) Act 1929; and whether any alternative legal provisions would remain in place to provide protection to unborn children.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Existing criminal offences relating to fetuses are contained in the Offences Against the Person Act 1861 and the Infant Life Preservation Act 1929.
The House of Commons has voted to add a clause to the Crime and Policing Bill which disapplies the criminal offences related to abortion for a woman acting in relation to her own pregnancy. These offences would still apply to medical professionals and third parties who do not abide by the rules set out in the Abortion Act 1967. The Government has no plans to change these.
Asked by: Lord Dodds of Duncairn (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to review the 24-week abortion gestational limit to take account of recent scientific evidence on foetal pain and advances in neonatal care.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
There are no plans for the Government to review the gestational limits of abortion. It is for Parliament to decide whether to make any changes to the law on abortion, including gestational time limits.
When the time limit was last reduced in 1990, there was a clear consensus from the medical profession that the age of viability had reduced from 28 weeks to 24 weeks gestation. There is currently no clear medical consensus that the age of viability has reduced below 24 weeks.
The Government does not formulate policy on fetal sentience and fetal pain. The review and determination of fetal sentience and its implications for abortion and clinical practice is reached through professional medical consensus and clinical guidance.
The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists has carried out a comprehensive review into fetal awareness evidence. Published in December 2022, the review concluded that the evidence to date indicates that the possibility of pain perception before 28 weeks of gestation is unlikely.
Asked by: Lord Dodds of Duncairn (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what was the budget of the Department of Health and Social Care as a percentage of total government expenditure in each year since 2021.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department has averaged 19% of total Government expenditure in each financial year since 2020/21: 20% in 2020/21, 26% in 2021/22, 14% in 2022/23, and 16% in 2023/24.
Asked by: Lord Dodds of Duncairn (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether any physical checks are required on medical products or medical devices moving from Great Britain to Northern Ireland; and, if so, which legislation requires them.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Internal market movements of medical devices and products follow the same rules as other goods and can avail the support provided by the United Kingdom’s Government to move goods into Northern Ireland free of unnecessary paperwork, checks, and duties.
Regarding specific regulations for medical devices or medicines, no regulatory declarations are required for the movement of medicines or medical devices from Great Britain to Northern Ireland. Medical devices across the whole of the UK are highly regulated, and devices placed in the Northern Irish market must be accompanied by a declaration of conformity in line with the EU Medical Device Regulations (2017/745) and EU In Vitro Device Regulations (2017/746), which apply under the Windsor Framework, in order to ensure dual market access to the UK’s internal market and the European Union's single market. Regulations in Great Britain are broadly similar to those applying in the Northern Ireland, including the conformity assessment process.
No physical checks are required for medicines or medical devices moving from Great Britain to Northern Ireland.
Asked by: Lord Dodds of Duncairn (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what declarations are required for the movement of medical products, including medical devices, from Great Britain to Northern Ireland; and which legislation requires them.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Internal market movements of medical devices and products follow the same rules as other goods and can avail the support provided by the United Kingdom’s Government to move goods into Northern Ireland free of unnecessary paperwork, checks, and duties.
Regarding specific regulations for medical devices or medicines, no regulatory declarations are required for the movement of medicines or medical devices from Great Britain to Northern Ireland. Medical devices across the whole of the UK are highly regulated, and devices placed in the Northern Irish market must be accompanied by a declaration of conformity in line with the EU Medical Device Regulations (2017/745) and EU In Vitro Device Regulations (2017/746), which apply under the Windsor Framework, in order to ensure dual market access to the UK’s internal market and the European Union's single market. Regulations in Great Britain are broadly similar to those applying in the Northern Ireland, including the conformity assessment process.
No physical checks are required for medicines or medical devices moving from Great Britain to Northern Ireland.
Asked by: Lord Dodds of Duncairn (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the application of section 7A of the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018 on the introduction of a generational smoking ban in Northern Ireland, as proposed in the Tobacco and Vapes Bill.
Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government intends to apply the Tobacco and Vapes Bill across the United Kingdom and it has been developed in partnership with the Scottish Government, the Welsh Government and the Northern Ireland Executive.
In the drafting of the Bill, the Government has considered all its domestic and international obligations.
Asked by: Lord Dodds of Duncairn (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many registered (1) residential care homes, and (2) nursing homes, there are in England; and what are the numbers of residents in each category.
Answered by Lord Markham - Shadow Minister (Science, Innovation and Technology)
The following table shows the number of care homes with and without nursing, and the number of beds for both categories, taken from the Care Quality Commission’s registration data from March 2024:
| Number of care homes in England | Number of beds in England |
Care homes without nursing | 10,473 | 234,198 |
Care homes with nursing | 4,250 | 221,766 |
Total | 14,723 | 455,964 |
The published data does not break down the number of residents in each category.
Asked by: Lord Dodds of Duncairn (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what progress has been made on introducing the mandatory fortification of flour with folic acid to help prevent neural tube defects in foetuses.
Answered by Lord Markham - Shadow Minister (Science, Innovation and Technology)
We remain committed to bringing forward legislation to introduce mandatory fortification of flour with folic acid. On 17 January 2024, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs published the response to the United Kingdom-wide consultation on amending the Bread and Flour Regulations, which is available at the GOV.UK website, in an online only format.
The Government has notified the World Trade Organization and the European Commission in accordance with international obligations, with a view to making the legislative changes later in 2024.