§ Mr. Needhamasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what conclusions he has reached following the consultation with health authorities' professional bodies and other interested parties on the report "Male Midwives: A Report of Two Studies".
§ Mr. Kenneth ClarkeThe conclusion we have drawn is that the present restrictions on the training and employment of men as midwives should now be lifted. We shall be presenting orders to the House later this year under the Sex Discrimination Act 1975 to enable this change to be made with effect from 1 September 1983. We will be asking health authorities to ensure that women have the right to choose to be attended by a female midwife. We shall also be asking health authorities to make provision for male midwives to be chaperoned as necessary.