Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of trends in the level of maternal health inequalities affecting black women.

It is unacceptable that there are such stark inequalities in maternal outcomes. The Government is committed to closing the black and Asian maternal mortality gap. We are urgently considering the immediate action needed to tackle inequalities for women and babies in maternity care.

A key objective in NHS England’s three-year delivery plan for maternity and neonatal services, which we are currently supporting them to deliver, is to reduce inequalities for all in maternity access, experience, and outcomes, seeking to improve equity for mothers and babies. Ongoing assessment of the impact of our policies and programmes is vital to ensuring that we improve outcomes and tackle inequalities.