David Amess – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

The below Parliamentary question was asked by David Amess on 2014-06-05.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, 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.

Jane Ellison

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 below.

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

– Plymouth Community Healthcare

The Government produced guidance on the provision of non-judgemental 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:

1 Senior Civil Servant (who also manages policy areas other than sexual health)

1 Grade 6

2 Grade 7

1 Senior Executive Officer

1 Higher Executive Officer (.7 whole time equivalent)

1 Executive Officer