HL Deb 30 March 1994 vol 553 cc57-8WA
Lord Stoddart of Swindon

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether, following the withdrawal of The Pocket Guide to Sex, published under the auspices of the Health Education Authority, they will remove matters of sex education from the jurisdiction of the authority; whether they will review the financing, policy and administration of the authority to ensure that its objectives are in accordance with government policy and represent value for taxpayers' money, and whether they will reconstitute the authority to ensure that it is a more balanced, watchful and questioning body.

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Health (Baroness Cumberlege)

The remit of the Health Education Authority includes undertaking health education activity; and its strategy, approved by Ministers, concentrates on the "Health of the Nation" key areas and targets, including the target to reduce teenage pregnancies. The role and functions of the authority have been subject to review by a team led by Mr. John Lee which has reported to my right honourable friend the Secretary of State for Health. We are still considering the report of the review team, and will take account of lessons learned over publication ofThe Pocket Guide to Sex in reaching final decisions.

Lord Stoddart of Swindon

asked Her Majesty 's Government:

Whether, following the withdrawal of The Pocket Guide to Sex (published under the auspices of the Health Education Authority), after its branding by the Minister of Health as "smutty", they will now cancel any reprint of The Best Sex Guide and wherever possible recall copies already issued; and whether they will ensure that those responsible for writing The Pocket Guide to Sex and The Best Sex Guide are not employed by them or by any government agency to compile material relating to sex education.

Baroness Cumberlege

The Health Education Authority (HEA) has already indicated that they have no plans to reprintThe Best Sex Guide. The Best Sex Guide was not retailed in shops and its distribution (which was concentrated around World AIDS Day—1 December—last year) was carefully targeted at young people over the age of 16 who were sexually active. It is a matter for the HEA to decide whom it will commission to draft its material. Public bodies do, however, need to consider material on sex education in terms of acceptability as well as responsiveness to the needs of the audience to which it is addressed.