Family Planning and Sexual Health Services

Question Time — scottish executive – in the Scottish Parliament at 2:30 pm on 20 September 2000.

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Photo of Sylvia Jackson Sylvia Jackson Labour 2:30, 20 September 2000

To ask the Scottish Executive what steps are being taken to support family planning and sexual health services for young people. (S1O-2268)

Photo of Susan Deacon Susan Deacon Labour

The development of a sexual health strategy for Scotland, the health demonstration project healthy respect and investment by the Executive directly, and through the Health Education Board for Scotland, to improve and expand information on services have the shared goal of improving the sexual health of young people in Scotland.

Photo of Sylvia Jackson Sylvia Jackson Labour

I thank the minister for her reply and also for her announcement in April that the Scottish Executive would fund four new Brook advisory centres in Glasgow, Aberdeen, Tayside and Forth Valley. Will she indicate the progress of those four centres?

Photo of Susan Deacon Susan Deacon Labour

My understanding is that a range of discussions and work has taken place at a local level between the Brook and local health boards to ensure that the investment made available by the Executive is put to good use and that services are provided across the country.

Many other centres and services of this kind have been developed across Scotland. I was pleased to open the Sandyford initiative in Glasgow last week. It is important that our young people have access to the support and services that they need.

Photo of Brian Monteith Brian Monteith Conservative

Is the minister aware of yesterday's report in the Edinburgh Evening News , which outlined the commercial sale by family planning agencies of sexual aids? Is that commercial activity a core activity? Does it suggest that there might be privatisation of the family planning agency in the future?

Photo of Susan Deacon Susan Deacon Labour

I am ashamed to admit, as an MSP who represents an Edinburgh constituency, that—unusually—I did not read last night's Edinburgh Evening News . I therefore cannot comment on the report in question.

This is a sensitive and important area. In formulating policy both at a national and at a local level, we will ensure that developments that take place are taken forward sensitively and for the right reasons.

Photo of Malcolm Chisholm Malcolm Chisholm Labour

I welcome the healthy respect demonstration project, which will benefit both Susan Deacon's constituency and mine. I also welcome the superb Sandyford initiative, which Glasgow colleagues and I visited during the summer recess.

Will the minister tell us how the Executive will ensure that those examples of best practice are developed throughout Scotland?

Photo of Susan Deacon Susan Deacon Labour

We should note the importance of ensuring that best practice is developed across Scotland. I remind members of the scale of the task that we face: there were something in the region of 9,000 teenage pregnancies in Scotland last year, almost half of which resulted in termination, and there is a rising incidence of sexually transmitted infection. The measures to which I referred in my initial answer are key examples of how we intend to spread out best practice across the country.