Asked by: Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle (Green Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to ensure that reproductive health issues, such as polycystic ovary syndrome, endometriosis, fertility and menopause symptoms, are covered in relationships and sex education in schools in England.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Statutory guidance on the current relationships, sex and health education (RSHE) curriculum, published on GOV.UK states that by the end of secondary education, pupils should know the facts about reproductive health, including fertility, and the potential impact of lifestyle on fertility for men and women and menopause. This guidance is attached and is also available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/relationships-education-relationships-and-sex-education-rse-and-health-education. While endometriosis and polycystic ovary syndrome are not mentioned specifically in the statutory guidance, it is open to schools to include it as part of this education.
To support schools further, in 2020 the department developed teacher training modules which are freely available to download from GOV.UK and are attached and is also available at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/teaching-about-relationships-sex-and-health. This included working with Endometriosis UK when developing the ‘changing adolescent body’ module, which references endometriosis. In addition, the ‘intimate and sexual relationships, including sexual health’ module refers to endometriosis, polycystic ovaries, fertility and menopause.
The department is currently reviewing the RSHE statutory guidance. My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education has been clear that children’s wellbeing must be at the heart of this guidance for schools and as such we will talk to stakeholders, analyse consultation responses and consider relevant evidence before setting out next steps. This will include assessing whether amended content on reproductive health issues is needed.
Asked by: Steve Yemm (Labour - Mansfield)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to support (a) LGBTIQ+ people and (b) women human rights defenders to access (i) sexual and reproductive health services, (ii) abortions, (iii) family planning services, (iv) HIV medication and (v) crisis response support in Kenya.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK is committed to championing LGBT+ human rights around the world; this work is enabled by our global, £40 million LGBT+ rights programme which supports organisations such as 'United in Health and Agriculture Improvement - East African Sexual Health and Rights Initiative', which is Africa's first indigenous activist fund that advances the human rights of LGBT+ persons. The UK proudly defends and promotes universal and comprehensive sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR). Through the £28.3 million Delivering Sustainable and Equitable increases in Family Planning programme (2019-2025), the UK has strengthened family planning in Kenya through contributing towards averting over 1.72 million unintended pregnancies, averting over 4,500 maternal deaths and over 400,000 unsafe abortions. UK co-funding of the Kenya Maternal and Newborn Health programme supports an emergency transport system in Kenya, using mobile technology to connect pregnant women to care when needed during pregnancy and childbirth.
Asked by: Baroness Sugg (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what support they are providing to (1) grassroots organisations, (2) local non-governmental organisations, (3) international non-governmental organisations, and (4) development partners, who advocate for sexual and reproductive health and rights in the Philippines.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
The UK has supported efforts to advance sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) in post-conflict areas of the Bangsamoro region, recognising that gender equality is essential to sustainable peace. The Integrated Security Fund Philippines programme has contributed to the development of the Bangsamoro Gender and Development Code and the Gender Ombud Guidelines, supported awareness-raising initiatives to end harmful practices such as child marriage, and worked with communities to strengthen the capacity of women's desks to provide better support for survivors of gender-based violence. The UK has also engaged with UNFPA to discuss how they can protect and promote SRHR in the Philippines further.
Asked by: Baroness Sugg (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what measures they are taking in their international development strategies to counter misinformation campaigns that target comprehensive sexuality and family planning education.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
The UK is proud to support universal and comprehensive sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) for all. This includes support to address the additional barriers faced by adolescents and young people to ensure they can access the information, services and advice they need. The UK works in partnership with governments, civil society and community groups to do so. For example, in December 2024 the Prime Minister announced the Grassroots and Counter Rollback programme which aims to strengthen civil society organisations and movements to counter misinformation and expand access to SRHR.
The UK continues to provide strong political leadership in multilateral fora. We work to protect and progress language relating to adolescents' SRHR, including comprehensive sexuality education and family planning education. Meaningful engagement of young people is also a priority, and this year we will again include a young person as part of the UK delegation to the United Nations Commission on Population and Development.
Asked by: Baroness Sugg (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what action they are taking to ensure that bilateral and multilateral health aid remain condition-free, particularly in regard to sexual and reproductive health and rights programmes; and what plans they have to collaborate with other donor nations to maintain consistent funding flows to key agencies, such as the United National Population Fund and the World Health Organization.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
The UK is committed to promoting and defending universal and comprehensive sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) including safe abortion. The UK firmly believes that supporting comprehensive SRHR through proven evidence based public health interventions saves lives and supports prosperity. We will continue to work with our partners, including UN Population Fund (UNFPA) and World Health Organisation (WHO), governments and civil society partners to deliver this and to ensure UK Aid programmes remain free of conditions that would restrict the freedom, rights and choices of women and girls.
The UK will continue to engage with other donor nations to progress and promote SRHR and work to diversify funding for key agencies.
In April, we will be holding a UK- UNFPA Strategic Dialogue as part of which we will discuss how we can best support their efforts towards long-term sustainable financing. This is also something we prioritise through our ODA investments, for example, through UK support to the UNFPA Supplies Partnership, we promote the mobilisation of countries' own domestic resources for reproductive health. The UK was also a key supporter of WHO's recent Investment Round pledging up to £310 million in flexible core voluntary contributions to support the WHO's work for the next 4 years (2024-2028). Flexible funding enables WHO to respond effectively to emerging health threats and priorities, by allocating resources where they are needed most and we encourage other donors to also provide predictable, flexible multi-year support.
Asked by: Paul Davies (Labour - Colne Valley)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to publish a Sexual Health Action Plan.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
We are committed to improving sexual heath in England, and the Department, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), NHS England, and a broad range of system partners are working together to develop a new HIV Action Plan, which we aim to publish this year. A key objective of the new plan will be to stabilise and support wider sexual health system enablers.
To help improve local authority commissioned sexual and reproductive health services, in 2025/26 we are increasing funding through the ring-fenced Public Health Grant to £3.858 billion, providing local authorities with an average 5.4% cash increase and a 3% real terms increase. This represents a significant turning point for local health services, marking the biggest real-terms increase after nearly a decade of reduced spending.
We continue to support the delivery of local sexual health services, by providing guidance and data to support local decision makers. In October 2024, the UKHSA published the STI Prioritisation Framework, which, combined with ongoing support from the UKHSA, will enable local systems to identify which combination of interventions to focus on for which populations, informed by the local situation.
Asked by: Baroness Northover (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of how the political declaration from the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women will support universal access to sexual and reproductive health and rights worldwide.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
Member states successfully adopted a consensus Political Declaration at the 69th UN Commission on the Status of Women. Our assessment is that new text on maternal and neonatal health, menstrual health and hygiene management are examples of progress supporting access to sexual and reproductive health services. The UK is proud to defend and promote universal and comprehensive sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) and has a long history as an influential global leader on SRHR to championing these fundamental rights in multilateral institutions.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Reform UK - Romford)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the recent increase in the number of internally displaced people in the Democratic Republic of the Congo on UK humanitarian aid distribution.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK is a leading humanitarian partner in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. We have allocated over £80 million in humanitarian support this financial year, supporting emergency lifesaving assistance and providing access to clean drinking water treatment for malnourished children, as well as life-saving sexual and reproductive health services. The humanitarian crisis is dire and rapidly worsening. Hundreds of thousands of people have been displaced since January.
Humanitarian access to the areas with populations of displaced people is a key challenge, due to the ongoing insecurity and closure of airports, for example. The UK is working with partners to improve humanitarian access and humanitarian partners are active and adapting to deliver life-saving services. We call on all parties not to obstruct the vital services that humanitarians are providing, and to cease hostilities and uphold the protection of humanitarian workers, as outlined in international humanitarian law.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has had recent discussions with counterparts in NATO countries on improving sexual health education in relation to (a) AIDS and (b) HIV in developing countries.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office officials do not engage directly with NATO regarding Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) HIV education.
The UK is proud to defend and promote universal and comprehensive SRHR, which includes comprehensive sexuality education, family planning, maternal and newborn health, HIV and AIDS treatment and prevention, safe abortion and period poverty. We remain committed to the global HIV response and to working in partnership with other UN member states as well as with the global health institutions towards a collective goal of ending AIDS as a public health threat. Together we have helped to reduce new HIV infections by 60 per cent since the peak in 1995 and reduce AIDS-related deaths by 69 per cent since the peak in 2004.
Asked by: Richard Burgon (Labour - Leeds East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to the reduction in ODA spending, what steps his Department plans to take to provide humanitarian support to the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Answered by Hamish Falconer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
During the Foreign Secretary's recent visit to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Rwanda, the Foreign Secretary announced an uplift of £14.6 million of humanitarian support for at least 480,000 more people in eastern DRC. This brings our humanitarian assistance in Eastern DRC to over £79 million this year. These funds support essential emergency assistance, and provide access to clean drinking water, treatment for malnourished children and life-saving sexual and reproductive health services. The UK remains committed to supporting those most in need in this critical humanitarian situation. Detailed decisions on how the Official Development Assistance budget will be allocated in future years will be worked through as part of the ongoing Spending Review, based on various factors, including impact assessments.