Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to reduce the prevalence of foetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD); and what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of services for people with FASD.

The United Kingdom Chief Medical Officers’ low risk drinking guidelines published in 2016 provide advice to women not to drink alcohol if they are planning a pregnancy or are pregnant. Public Health England, NHS England and NHS Improvement and local commissioners continue to raise awareness of the risks of drinking whilst pregnant. The Government is funding five voluntary organisations to support grassroots initiatives to prevent cases of foetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD), raise awareness among professionals and help improve support for those living with its consequences.

No recent assessment has been made of services for people with FASD. However, we have asked the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence to produce a Quality Standard in England for FASD to help the health and care system improve diagnosis and care of those affected, which is expected to be published later this year.