Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department was consulted prior to the publication of the British Medical Journal article concerning terminology used in relation to female genital mutilation.

The Department was not consulted prior to the publication of the British Medical Journal Article concerning terminology used in relation to female genital mutilation.

The Government does not tolerate female genital mutilation which can cause extreme and lifelong physical and psychological suffering to women and girls. The focus remains on preventing these crimes from happening, supporting and protecting survivors and those at risk, and bringing perpetrators to justice.

This includes a mandatory reporting duty for regulated health professionals to report cases of female genital mutilation in girls under 18 years of age to the police.