Speeches made during Parliamentary debates are recorded in Hansard. For ease of browsing we have grouped debates into individual, departmental and legislative categories.
These initiatives were driven by Baroness O'Loan, and are more likely to reflect personal policy preferences.
A Bill to lower the gestational time limit for abortion from twenty-four weeks to twenty-two weeks.
Baroness O'Loan has not co-sponsored any Bills in the current parliamentary sitting
The Government has committed to undertake a public consultation on making permanent the COVID-19 measure allowing for home use of both pills for early medical abortion up to 10 weeks gestation for all eligible women. The current COVID-19 measure will be kept in place until the public consultation concludes and a decision has been made. Work to develop the consultation will begin soon and further details will be available in due course, but the consultation will be completed and a Government response published, before the end date of the temporary order.
The Government has committed to undertake a public consultation on making permanent the COVID-19 measure allowing for home use of both pills for early medical abortion up to 10 weeks gestation for all eligible women. The current COVID-19 measure will be kept in place until the public consultation concludes and a decision has been made. Work to develop the consultation will begin soon and further details will be available in due course, but the consultation will be completed and a Government response published, before the end date of the temporary order.
The Department will be publishing an additional official statistics release of abortion data covering the COVID-19 period from January to June 2020 on 10 September. The Code of Practice outlined in the Statistics and Registration Service Act 2007 prohibits the pre-release of official statistics before the due date of publication.
The Committee Stage for the Northern Ireland (Legacy and Reconciliation) Bill is no longer scheduled for 12 and 14 December. It will be rescheduled in due course.
I can confirm that the Government will shortly publish its response to the consultation ‘A new legal framework for abortion services in Northern Ireland: Implementation of the legal duty under section 9 of the Northern Ireland (Executive Formation etc.) Act 2019’.
The Government will also shortly lay before Parliament regulations providing for lawful access to abortion services in Northern Ireland, consistent with what is required under section 9 of the Northern Ireland (Executive Formation etc.) Act 2019.