To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made of the effect of restriction of choice of contraception on unplanned pregnancies.
I refer the hon. Member to the reply that I gave to the hon. Member for Lancashire, West (Mr. Pickthall) on 18 January at col. 97.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what was the number of (a) women and (b) men receiving free contraception in each of the last five years.
The information is not available in the form requested. However, table 1 shows the number of first contracts in community and hospital family planning clinics, excluding those for whom a main method of contraception was not provided, and table 2, the number of patients for whom general medical practitioners claimed payment for provision of contraceptive services. As information is collected at differing dates, the tables relate to the last five-year period for which comprehensive information is available.
| Table 1: Number of first contacts at community and hospital family planning clinics (thousands) | |||
| Total | Female | Male | |
| 19861 | 1,320 | 1,295 | 25 |
| 1987–881 | 1,227 | 1,196 | 31 |
| 1988–891 | 1,016 | 986 | 30 |
| 1989–90 | 994 | 964 | 31 |
| 1990–91 | 961 | 931 | 30 |
| 1 For 1986, 1987–88 and 1988–89 detailed information by sex is not available and has been estimated. | |||
| Table 2: Number of patients (at 1 October each year) for whom payment was due to general medical practitioners for the provision of contraceptive services in the year ended 1 October | |
| (thousands). | |
| Number ofClaims1 | |
| 1986 | 2,570 |
| 1987 | 2,570 |
| 1988 | 2,660 |
| 1989 | 2,730 |
| 1990 | 2,860 |
| 1 Figures relate to women only. The number of instances in these figures where advice alone was provided is not known. | |