§ Sandra GidleyTo ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what percentage of NHS funded abortions occurred within(a) 9 weeks, (b) 9–12 weeks and (c) 13–19 weeks gestation of pregnancy in each of the last five years, broken down by authority of residence in England and Wales; [80399]
97W(2) what the (a) mean and (b) modal length of time between referral and an abortion was when a patient had to wait; in each of the last five years for which figures are available, broken down by health authority boundaries in England and Wales. [80400]
§ Ms BlearsThe information requested has been placed in the Library.
Information on how long a patient had to wait between referral and an abortion is not collected centrally. As part of the sexual health and HIV strategy implementation action plan, the Department will be developing an abortion waiting time performance indicator and undertaking an audit of abortion waiting times and commissioning policies. From 2003, primary care trusts (PCTs) will work towards the national standard that women who meet the legal requirements should have access to an abortion within three weeks of the first appointment with referring doctor. £1 million is being allocated to a number of PCTs this financial year to help improve access to abortion services and reduce waiting times.