HC Deb 27 July 1981 vol 9 cc329-31W
Dr. McDonald

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what were the total numbers of legal abortions

expected to enter the youth opportunities programme in the current year; and how this compares with the numbers and proportions since the scheme started in (a) Scotland and (b) the Lothian region in each case.

Mr. Alexander Fletcher

The youth opportunities programme started on 1 April 1978 but statistics in the form requested can be provided only from 1979–80 onwards for Scotland and from 1980–81 for Lothian. The information which is available is set out in the following table:

performed in Scotland in 1980; and what was the total number of non-National Health Service abortions performed in Scotland in that year.

Mr. Fairgrieve

The provisional figures for 1980 are 7,895 and 181, respectively.

Dr. McDonald

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland how many Scottish girls under the age of 16 years (a) gave birth, (b) had still births and (c) had abortions in 1980; and what was the abortion rate for girls aged 15 and 16 years in that year.

Mr. Fairgrieve

The information on births and abortions related to individual ages for 1980 is not yet available.

Dr. McDonald

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland how many discharges from Scottish hospitals there were following (a) non-therapeutic abortion and (b) therapeutic abortion in the years 1979 and 1980, respectively.

Mr. Fairgrieve

The information requested on non-therapeutic abortions is not yet available. Discharges following therapeutic abortions in 1979 was 7,562—not 7,714 as given in my reply to the hon. Member on 3 July' 1981—[Vol. 7, c.472.]; the provisional figure for 1980 is 7,714.

Dr. McDonald

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what was the total abortion rate for Scottish women having abortions in Scotland and England pear 1,000 Scottish women aged 15 to 44 years of age for the year 1980.

Mr. Fairgrieve

The provisional rate for Scottish women having therapeutic abortions in Scotland in 1980 was 7.3 per 1,000 women aged 15 to 44 years of age; information on numbers of Scottish women having therapeutic abortions in England is not yet available.