§ Mrs. Dunwoodyasked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many abortion notification forms are involved in his Department's current inquiry into notification of abortion operations; how much this current inquiry into all post 20-week abortion notifications is scheduled to cost; how much the inquiry into a sample of pre 20-week abortion notifications is scheduled to cost; what this inquiry is intended to discover; when the results are expected; and whether the results are to be made public.
§ Dr. VaughanThe Department is not conducting such an inquiry.
I assume the hon, Member is referring to the independent study of late abortion practice being carried out by the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists. The Department expects to provide funding of about £56,000, but it is not possible from the information available to me to divide the costs between inquiry into cases of pre and post 20 week gestation.
The main aim of the study is to establish the reasons abortions are carried out in the middle trimester of pregnancy. I understand the results are expected in about 12 months' time. The question of publication is for the research workers to consider in conjunction with the royal college.
§ Mrs. Dunwoodyasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will list all the confidential inquiries into abortion notification forms which have taken place since the Abortion Act 1967 came into force, together with their cost; and whether the findings were made public.
§ Dr. VaughanI am not clear what inquiries the hon. Member has in mind, but if she cares to write to me or put down a further question I will let her have what information I can.