§ Ms. Harmanasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is the total annual cost of National Health Service family planning services for each of the years 1982–83, 1983–84, 1984–85 and 1985–86.
§ Mr. NewtonThe expenditure on family planning provided through the community health services and general medical practitioners (fees and drugs) for England for each of the years 1982–83, 1983–84, 1984–85 and 1985–86 is as follows:
Expenditure on Family Planning Services—England £ million 1982–83 59 1983–84 66 1984–85 71 1985–86 76
§ Ms. Harmanasked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many and which district health authorities provide designated young people's birth control advisory sessions in England.
§ Mr. NewtonI regret that we do not collect this information centrally.
§ Ms. Harmanasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what information he has as to how many doctors' sessions Brook Advisory Centres has held in each of its centres in each of the last five years: and what is the estimate for the number of doctors' sessions for the coming financial year.
§ Mr. NewtonBrook Advisory Centres' annual reports record that the number of doctors' sessions in each of their centres in each of the last 5 calendar years was as follows:
1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 Avon 715 653 610 573 575 Birmingham 2,739 2,814 2,742 2,682 2,776 Coventry 124 131 136 127 103 Edinburgh 1,122 1,116 939 914 846 London 3,019 3,238 3,320 3,173 3,081 Merseyside 83 92 110 152 153 North East Lancashire1 — — — — 28 1 Opened June 1986. We have no estimate of the numbers for 1987 and 1988.
§ Ms. Harmanasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will list the number of family planning clinics and family planning clinic sessions in each regional health authority in England for the last five years.
§ Mr. NewtonThe available information is given in the tables.
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Family Planning Services 1981–85: England Region 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 Family planning sessions Northern 11,211 10,590 10,791 11,113 10,436 Yorkshire 11,731 12,410 12,106 11,998 11,966 Trent 13,572 15,027 15,151 15,286 14,994 East Anglia 5,827 5,819 5,848 5,853 5,674 North West Thames 22,119 19,562 20,200 20,069 20,048 North East Thames 20,088 20,805 21,643 20,363 21,970 South East Thames 18,795 18,134 19,944 19,920 19,024 South West Thames 16,921 16,341 16,452 16,041 15,346 Wessex 9,957 10,136 9,952 10,006 10,500 Oxford 9,758 9,006 7,755 7,704 7,739 South Western 11,310 11,445 11,233 10,541 10,454 West Midlands 21,549 21,994 21,958 22,225 21,338 Mersey 9,383 10,120 10,149 9,965 9,850 North Western 14,737 16,083 15,918 16,043 16,736 Total 196,958 197,472 199,100 197,127 196,075 Premises in regular use for family planning sessions Northern 131 131 132 136 129 Yorkshire 146 150 152 154 148 Trent 139 136 138 134 135 East Anglia 59 58 58 57 56 North West Thames 160 165 168 170 158 North East Thames 145 155 159 163 167 South East Thames 133 124 138 141 136 South West Thames 130 119 120 122 122 Wessex 87 87 86 87 89 Oxford 68 65 59 54 53 South Western 114 114 114 111 112 West Midlands 168 171 164 167 170 Mersey 106 103 105 104 105 North Western 158 161 162 168 166 Total 1,744 1,739 1,755 1,768 1,746
§ Ms. Harmanasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what steps his Department is taking to ensure adequate financial provision for the continuation of family planning clinics in view of the important role family planning clinics play in prevention of AIDS.
§ Mr. NewtonThe allocation of funds for local family planning services is a matter for individual health authorities, subject to the defined consultation procedures if substantial variations in services are proposed. Authorities will be aware of the implications of AIDS for family planning services, for example through the provisional guidance prepared by the Family Planning Association and the National Association of Family Planning Doctors.
§ Ms. Harmanasked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many and which regional health authorities in England include young people's birth control advisory services as a priority in their strategic plans.
§ Mr. NewtonThe hon. Member may wish to approach regional health authorities direct about their policies towards these services as their strategic plans do not deal with such matters in detail.
§ Ms. Harmanasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is Her Majesty's Government's policy towards the degree of choice to be offered in National Health Service family planning provision; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. NewtonOur policy is that people should be free to choose their source of family planning advice. The
156Wdetailed arrangements for the provision of health authority family planning services is a matter for individual health authorities. DHSS guidance on family planning services recommends that a choice of sources of advice and provisions should be available and that people should be free to change from one source to another and to attend clinics outside the geographic area of the health authority if they wish.
Women wishing to receive contraceptive services from a general medical practitioner may apply either to their own doctor or to another who has indicated willingness to accept patients other than their own for this service. The doctor has discretion to accept or decline individual applications.
§ Ms. Harmanasked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many (1) National Health Services family planning clinics and (2) general practitioner health centres are designated as training centres for family planning in England.
§ Mr. NewtonThe following information is recorded by the Joint Committee on Contraception, which is concerned with family planning training for doctors and on which the DHSS is one of six bodies represented. The figures refer to the number of approved premises for family planning training and United Kingdom totals only are available.
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Number Community and Hospital Clinics 1,035 GP premises 30
§ Ms. Harmanasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is Government policy on funding for young people's birth control advisory services, including Brook Advisory Centres; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. NewtonHealth authorities are advised to consider the need for separate facilities for young people but the allocation of funds for such arrangements is a matter for them. We are, also, currently funding three family planning and pregnancy counselling projects for young people under 25 years which it is hoped will identify models of good practice which can be disseminated to the National Health Service. The Department has given grants towards the headquarters administrative costs of Brook advisory centres since 1978 and an application for a renewed grant is currently being considered.
§ Ms. Harmanasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what role National Health Service family planning clinics are playing in the Government's campaign against AIDS; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. NewtonWe recognise the relevance and importance of family planning work to the AIDS issue. Family planning staff are well placed to offer advice and guidance to the public, and condoms are available free of charge on prescription in clinics.
We have provided a grant of £7,960 to the Family Planning Association towards the cost of pilot training courses in live health authorities on the AIDS aspects of the work of family planning staff.
The "Handbook of Contraceptive Practice", prepared by the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists and the Royal College of General Practitioners and issued to family planning doctors and other family planning professionals, is currently being revised to take account of AIDS.