HL Deb 08 March 2001 vol 623 cc308-10

3.14 p.m.

Baroness Young

asked Her Majesty's Government:

How many health action zones have been established which will permit girls as young as 12 to have the morning after pill.

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Health (Lord Hunt of Kings Heath)

My Lords, we have been notified of 12 schemes which have been established by health action zones and health authorities. Although they are open to women of all ages, experience has been that there are very few requests from under-16s. Supplies can be made to an under-16 within the legal framework established for health professionals in 1986.

Baroness Young

My Lords, I thank the noble Lord for that reply. What measures are to be taken to monitor the effect of all this, particularly as regards the number of girls under the age of 16 who are likely to receive those particular pills? Will be monitor also the incidence of sexually transmitted diseases as a consequence of the availability of the morning after pill?

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath

My Lords, certainly I accept that it is important to monitor the progress of health action zones. I assure the noble Baroness that the issues which she has raised will indeed be monitored. My understanding is that in the Manchester health action zone, the average age of women presenting in the Manchester pharmacy scheme was 24 and only 4 per cent were under the age of 16.

The Earl of Longford

My Lords, does my noble friend agree that sex between children, adolescents and unmarried young people should be discouraged by government action?

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath

My Lords, the House is always asking the Government to take action. We wish to do everything that we can to reduce the degree of teenage pregnancy, which is very much associated with the question asked by my noble friend. Our national media campaign in relation to sexual health and teenage pregnancy focuses on giving young people, first, the facts about the risk of unprotected sex and also, importantly, helping them to face down the pressure to have sex before they are ready to do so.

Baroness Blatch

My Lords, in view of the fact that the morning after pill is available to young people under the age of 16, what protection is there in relation to the culpability of a teacher or a head teacher who refers a girl to a nurse and/or a pharmacy if something goes wrong?

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath

My Lords, if the contraceptive was issued under a patient group direction, the professional prescribing that contraceptive would be open to regulation and discipline by his regulatory body. In addition, the medical doctor who was concerned with and signed the patient group direction would himself be accountable if an error were made in that patient group direction.

On the question of the supply of contraception by school nurses, the noble Baroness will recognise that that occurs only after a decision by the governing body of the school after consultation with the parents.

Baroness Massey of Darwen

My Lords, does the Minister agree that there is overwhelming evidence to show that very few girls of 12 are having sex in the first place and that the vast number of women who use emergency contraception are in the age range of 30 to 40? Does he further agree that it is better to use emergency contraception than for a child to have a child?

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath

My Lords, I agree with all those statements in my noble friend's question. Indeed, the evidence from the Manchester scheme confirms that.

Lord Clement-Jones

My Lords, will the Minister also agree that in the majority of the other health action zones—particularly the one of which I am aware, the Lambeth, Lewisham, Southwark health action zone—the figures are very similar to those referred to by the noble Baroness, Lady Massey?

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath

My Lords, yes; that is why I responded positively to the original Question by the noble Baroness, Lady Young. Clearly, it is extremely important for us to monitor the figures and make them known because that will inform other potential schemes up and down the country.

Baroness Knight of Collingtree

My Lords, will the Minister say what warnings his department issues to reach those very young girls to ensure that they know about the now known danger of starting a sexually active life very early?

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath

My Lords, as I said to my noble friend, in relation to the overall sexual health strategy, the Government are keen to ensure that the risks of having under-age, unprotected sex should be brought home to young people. We seek to do that. At the same time, I believe that when unprotected sex has taken place it is absolutely right that contraceptive advice is available to those young people, as long as the legal framework is followed.

Baroness Uddin

My Lords, can the Minister inform the House what data are kept in relation to women taking the morning after pill, not only in respect of the age of the children and women but also in respect of their ethnicity and race?

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath

My Lords, I agree with my noble friend that it is important that we keep as much information as possible in order to inform our future polices and programmes. The Government's sexual health strategy, which will be launched in due course, will focus on information requirements.

Earl Howe

My Lords, the Minister will remember from our debate at the end of January that one of my concerns in relation to the morning after pill being available in pharmacies is that continuity of healthcare can be compromised. What is the situation in the health action zones where a young person under the age of 16 requests the morning after pill from a pharmacist? Does the pharmacist have an obligation to refer that young person to a GP? What transfer of information takes place?

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath

No, my Lords, I do not believe that a pharmacist has an obligation to refer such a young person to a general practitioner. But whatever conversation takes place between the pharmacist and the young person, that provides an opportunity for information to be imparted about safe sexual health practices. I believe that that happens.

Earl Ferrers

My Lords, does the Minister agree with the observation made once in this House by a distinguished member of the party opposite, Lady Summerskill, that the best contraceptive was the word "No"?

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath

My Lords, there are those who believe that "Just say no" policies will lead to a reduction in sexual activity among young people and reduce teenage pregnancy rates. I do not believe that there is any evidence to show that.