Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the Maternity Disparities Taskforce is still active; how many meetings of that taskforce have taken place since it was established; and if he will publish the (a) dates and (b) durations of those meetings.

The Maternity Disparities Taskforce is not currently active, having met six times on: 8 March 2022, 16 May 2022, 18 July 2022, 18 April 2023, 5 September 2023 and 31 January 2024. The duration of these meetings were approximately an hour and a half.

It is a priority for the Government to make sure all women and babies receive the high-quality care they deserve, regardless of their background or ethnicity.  The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Patient Safety, Women’s Health and Mental Health, Baroness Merron, is considering the immediate action needed to tackle inequalities for women and babies and racism in maternity services; including what targets are needed.