§ Mr. Peter BottomleyTo ask the Prime Minister if he will give responsibility for answering questions on the numbers and trends in the numbers of terminations performed under the Abortion Act 1967 to the Department of Health. [29678]
§ The Prime MinisterFollowing the creation of the Office for National Statistics (ONS) on 1 April 1996 there is an agreed division of responsibility between ONS and Departments for answering Parliamentary Questions with a statistical content. Oral questions and written questions including issues of policy are answered by the relevant Department, while written questions seeking statistics only are answered by ONS. In line with these arrangements written questions seeking only statistics on abortions in England and Wales, are delegated by my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer to the Director of ONS for answer. There are no plans to change these arrangements.
§ Mr. Peter BottomleyTo ask the Prime Minister how often, and to which part of government, reports are made by places licensed to carry out terminations under the Abortion Act 1967. [29679]
§ The Prime MinisterAll non-National Health Service places approved by my right hon. Friends the Secretaries of State for Health, for Scotland and for Wales, under Section 1(3) of the Abortion Act 1967, to carry out termination of pregnancy, are subject to unannounced visits and monitoring by officials of their Department. All registered medical practitioners have a statutory obligation to notify the Chief Medical Officer of the relevant Department of each termination of pregnancy they perform.