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25 Mar 2009 : Column WA131
Written Answers
Wednesday 25 March 2009
Abortion
Questions
Asked by Baroness Masham of Ilton
To ask Her Majesty's Government for each of the last three years for which figures are available, how many abortions were performed in (a) England and Wales, and (b) Scotland; how many were performed in National Health Service hospitals; how many in private hospitals; what was the cost of performing abortions in National Health Service hospitals and in private hospitals; what was the total number of abortions performed under the Abortion Act 1967; and, of those, how many were performed to save the life of the mother. [HL2275]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Health (Lord Darzi of Denham): The available information is shown in the following tables.
Costs to the National Health Service for abortions performed in NHS hospitals in England are set out in
25 Mar 2009 : Column WA132
| Year | National total cost of medical and surgical terminations undertaken by NHS organisations (Schedule 4 of national reference costs) |
- 1. The figures in the table above represent the number of Finished Consultant Episodes (FCEs) multiplied by the national average unit cost.
- 3. Schedule 4 2006-07 data are not directly comparable to 2005-06 and 2004-05 due a change in the data collection.
The cost of abortions performed in Wales is a matter for the Welsh Assembly Government. Data on, and cost of, abortions performed in Scotland are a matter for the Scottish Government.
| Abortions: totals, rates and by purchaser, residents, England and Wales, 2005 — 2007 | ||||||
| Rate per 1,000 women residents aged 15-44 | Purchaser | |||||
| Year | Total | ASR* | Crude | NHS | NHS agency | Non-NHS |
| Total abortions to save the life of the mother *, residents of England and Wales, 2005-07 | ||||
| Section 1(4) | Section 1(1)(c) | % | Total all abortions | |
- Section 1(4) that the termination is immediately necessary to save the life or to prevent grave permanent injury to the physical or mental health of the pregnant woman.
- Section 1(1)(c) that the continuance of the pregnancy would involve risk to the life of the pregnant woman, greater than if the pregnancy were terminated.
- - suppressed value less than 10 (between 0-9) in line with the Office for National Statistics' guidance on the disclosure of abortion statistics (2005).
Asked by Baroness Masham of Ilton
To ask Her Majesty's Government what were the abortion rates per 1,000 women aged 15 to 44 in (a) England and Wales, and (b) Scotland, in each of the last three years for which figures are available. [HL2276]
Lord Darzi of Denham: The available information is shown in the following table.
| Abortions : totals and rates, residents, England and Wales, 2005-07 | |||
| Rate per 1,000 women residents aged 15-44 | |||
| Year | Total | Age-standardised rate (ASR)* | Crude |
Data on abortions performed in Scotland are a matter for the Scottish Government.
Asked by Baroness Masham of Ilton
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many abortions were performed under the Abortion Act 1967 in each of the past 15 years, broken down by (a) grounds for abortion, (b) length of gestation, and (c) health authority in Scotland, where the unborn child was suffering from (1) cleft palate, and (2) cleft lip. [HL2279]
25 Mar 2009 : Column WA133
Lord Darzi of Denham: The information is shown in the following table for abortions performed in England and Wales since 1995.
Prior to 1995, the International Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems codes did not include cleft lip and/or palate. For 1995 onwards, abortions with a principal medical condition of cleft lip or cleft palate are coded together as cleft lip and/or palate.
Data cannot be broken down by gestation or health authority for confidentiality reasons in line with the Office for National Statistics' guidance on the disclosure of abortion statistics (2005). All abortions shown were performed under Section 1(1)(d) of the Abortion Act 1967, that there is substantial risk that if the child were born it would suffer from such physical or mental abnormalities as to be seriously handicapped. 2008 statistics are due to be published in spring 2009.
Data on abortions performed in Scotland are a matter for the Scottish Government.
- - suppressed value less than 10 (between 0 and 9). From 2003 onwards, totals of less than 10 are suppressed for reasons of confidentiality in line with the Office for National Statistics' (ONS) guidance on the disclosure of abortion statistics (2005).
- 1 For years 2003, 2004 and 2005, some of the principal medical conditions for abortions performed under Section 1(1)(d) had to be suppressed as the totals for each single year were too small to release. In the three years 2003-05, there were 11 cases with a principal medical condition of the congenital malformation cleft lip and/or cleft palate.
Asked by Baroness Masham of Ilton
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will take account of the effects of the Hyde Amendment on federal funding of abortion in the United States in preparing future partial regulatory impact assessments of legislation relating to termination of pregnancy. [HL2280]
Lord Darzi of Denham: Only legislation pertaining to the laws governing abortion in Great Britain will be considered as part of any future partial regulatory impact assessment of legislation relating to the termination of pregnancy. We have no plans to change the law on abortion.
25 Mar 2009 : Column WA134
Aluminium
Question
Asked by Lord Stoddart of Swindon
To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Answer by Baroness Vadera on 11 February (WA 185—86), whether the aluminium plant at Wylfa will be closed as a consequence of European Union state aid rules. [HL1518]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform & Cabinet Office (Baroness Vadera): In response to global market conditions, Rio Tinto Alcan has recently announced its restructuring plans and also said that it anticipates that it may have to close its aluminium smelting operation at the Holyhead site (Anglesey Aluminium) at the end of September 2009 when its current long-term energy supply contract with the nuclear power station at Wylfa ends. No final decision has been taken yet and we welcome Rio Tinto's willingness to continue to seek a new energy contract and pursue other commercial opportunities for the Anglesey site.
The contract between Anglesey Aluminium Metal (AAM) and the NDA is a commercial matter for the parties and is subject to state aid rules. As well as doing what it can to encourage the company and the NDA to agree a new energy contract, BERR, together with the Welsh Assembly Government and DECC, will continue to work with Anglesey Aluminium to try and help the company find a way forward.
Armed Forces: Accommodation
Question
Asked by Lord Taylor of Warwick
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will increase funding for upgrading and refurbishing army family accommodation; and, if so, by how much. [HL2342]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Ministry of Defence (Baroness Taylor of Bolton): The Government attach a high priority to the needs of service personnel and their families. For that reason we plan to spend in excess of £3 billion on improving and upgrading Armed Forces accommodation over the next decade. Included within this sum is over £600 million for upgrading and refurbishing family accommodation. We are having to make good decades of underinvestment and the process will inevitably take time.
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