Health written question – answered at on 12 June 2014.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health
(1) what (a) formal and (b) informal discussions officials had with (i) pro-life organisations, (ii) the British Pregnancy Advisory Service, (iii) Marie Stopes International and (iv) pro-choice organisations before the publication of guidance on the provision of non-judgemental counselling; and if he will make a statement;
(2) how many staff of each grade are employed in his Department's Sexual Health Policy Team;
(3) which Directorate in his Department produced guidance on the provision of non-judgemental counselling; which Directorate has policy responsibility for implementation of this guidance; and if he will make a statement.
Departmental officials have made a number of visits and have had informal discussions with a number of counselling providers which included pro-life and pro-choice organisations; these are listed as follows.
Organisations visited or with which contact was made
Brook Advisory Centre, Brixton
British Pregnancy Advisory Service (BPAS), Richmond
Care Confidential, Alternatives Trust, Newham
City Pregnancy Counselling and Psychotherapy Service, Islington
Homerton NHS Trust, Hackney
Hull Sexual and Reproductive Health Care Partnership
Life Care Centre, Walsall
Marie Stopes International, Brixton and Bristol
Norwich Contraception and Sexual Health Clinic
The Government produced guidance on the provision of non-judgmental abortion counselling in ‘A Framework for Sexual Health Improvement in England’(March 2013). The Framework was produced by the sexual health policy team in the Public Health Directorate.
The Sexual Health Policy team is made up of the following staff at each grade:
one Senior Civil Servant (who also manages policy areas other than sexual health) one Grade 6 two Grade 7 one Senior Executive Officer one Higher Executive Officer (seven whole time equivalent) one Executive Officer
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