HC Deb 11 July 1978 vol 953 cc457-9W
Mr. Stokes

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether any family planning clinics for children of 12 years and upwards have been opened under area health authorities.

Mr. Bowden

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what involvement with parents his Department advises when funding contraception for children under the age of consent.

Mrs. Knight

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services how much money is provided by his Department for the provision of contraceptive services for minors.

Mr. Dan Jones

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether in any family planning clinics for children under the age of consent opening under area health authorities, there is provision for the parents of the children to be consulted.

Mr. Alison

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what information is available to him of the extent to which counselling is provided for children under the age of consent before they are provided with contraceptive devices by the organisations funded by the Government so to do.

Mr. Farr

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services what were the planning guidelines issued in March 1978 to health authorities referred to in the Written Answer to Lord Somers on 25th April in the House of Lords.

Mr. Cormack

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services whether any clinics to provide children under the age of consent with contraceptive devices have been opened with Government funding.

Mr. Sims

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services in what circumstances family planning clinics run by area health authorities would provide contraceptives to children under the age of consent, without consulting the child's parents.

Mr. Moyle

My Department's policy on the provision of family planning services, including the arrangements for giving advice and treatment to the young, is set out in a Health Service circular HSC(IS)32 and an accompanying memorandum of guidance. A reference to the importance of developing services for the young was included also in health circular HC(78)12—DHSS planning guidelines for 1978–79. A copy of both documents has been placed in the Library.

The principal aim of the service is to prevent unwanted pregnancies. Accordingly, our policy is that the arrangements made by health authorities for providing this service should encourage all those in need of contraceptive advice and treatment, including young people, to seek such advice. The advice and treatment given in any particular case is a matter for the doctor concerned. In the memorandum of guidance doctors are reminded of the advice given by the Medical Defence Union that the parents of a child who has sought advice and treatment should not be contacted without the child's permission it is acknowledged in the memorandum that refusal to give such permission might affect the nature of the advice given to the child. At the same time it is made clear that, in our view, it would always be prudent to seek the patient's consent to tell the parents when the patient is under 16 years of age.

The arrangements chosen for providing family planning services for the young are a matter for individual health authorities, who are not required to submit to the Department details of the nature or scale of the arrangements nor of their cost. In our guidance we encourage counselling services for the young as an adjunct to contraceptive services and ask health authorities to consider such provision in liaison with local authorities and other public and voluntary bodies. Where these services are provided by voluntary bodies such as the Brook advisory centres this is by arrangement with the health authorities concerned and funded by them from their general revenue allocation.

Authorities are fully aware of the need to encourage young people to take a responsible attitude to personal relationships and to involve parents if at all possible.