HC Deb 15 June 1982 vol 25 cc714-5
5. Mr. Greenway

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services for how many woman oral contraceptives were prescribed in the past 12 months.

Mr. Kenneth Clarke

Provisional figures suggest that oral contraceptives were prescribed for just over 2.8 million women in England in 1981.

Mr. Greenway

Will my hon. and learned Friend say what percentage or number from that figure were prescribed for girls under the age of 16? Will he categorically deny the report attributed to him in the Daily Mail of 1 May that he recommended the prescription of the contraceptive pill for girls under the age of 16 and that doctors do so without consulting their parents?

Mr. Clarke

In answer to my hon. Friend's first question, I cannot give any age breakdown for women who receive contraceptive advice, because GPs do not keep statistics on that basis. In answer to the second question, a sub-editor in the Daily Mail put a very racy headline on a speech of mine, saying that I was urging the pill for under-16s. I am glad to say that the text made it clear that I said that every effort should be made by doctors consulted by patients under 16 years of age to persuade them to involve their parents, before going on to give any advice.

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