§ Mr. David Watkinsasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what proportion of health districts in England and Wales operate hospital services for family planning for social reasons; how such services are financed; and how many were suspended for financial reasons in 1977–78 and may be suspended for the same reason in the current financial year.
§ Mr. MoyleAll health authorities have a responsibility for providing a comprehensive family planning service for all those who need it, and this is financed in the normal way from general revenue allocations. The service includes female sterilisation and vasectomy and, when either operation is performed for social reasons, the doctor concerned receives an additional payment. This factor may lead some authorities, for reasons of financial management, to introduce a budgetary limit effectively determining the number of operations for social reasons which can be performed in a particular financial year. But no information is held centrally on the effect of budgetary limits on the availability of such operations.