§ Mrs. Millie Millerasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what steps have been taken to develop the preventive health services, particularly as they affect women and children, in line with the recommendations of the World Plan of Action for the United Nations International Decade for Women.
§ Dr. OwenThe Government recently published a consultative document "Prevention and Health: Everybody's Business" to stimulate interest generally in prevention and to encourage all concerned to give it greater priority whenever practicable within available resources. As part of the arrangements to follow up the publication of this document, my Department and the Welsh Office recently held a national symposium on "Involvement in Prevention" and the United Kingdom Health Departments intend to issue a series of papers on particular preventive topics over the next few years. These will include a number on questions of particular concern to women and children; one to be issued early next year will concentrate on services related to pregnancy and childbirth, and later papers are planned on diet and nutrition and vaccination and immunisation. Considerable resources are already devoted to preventive services and the Government's recent initiative on prevention is being and will be further supported by the 497W diversion of financial and manpower resources.