Vol. 515 No. 2
46 Mr. Wall asked the Minister for Health and Children the policies, measures or programmes funded by his Department aimed at reducing the incidents of unwanted pregnancies; the outcomes of these measures; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5584/00]
Additional funding of £1 million in 1999 and a further £1.6 million in 2000 has been provided to the health boards to enable them to fund measures aimed at addressing the issue of unwanted pregnancy. Research, such as the women and crisis pregnancy report published in 1998, has identified a range of issues regarding the availability of family planning and related services as well as the attitudes of young people to sexual behaviour, which impact on the incidence of unplanned and unwanted pregnancy.
Health boards are undertaking a range of initiatives in this area. However as services are still in the process of development, it is as yet too early to assess their impact. The type of issues on which boards are being asked to concentrate when developing policy include the provision of services which are accessible to young people and which meet their needs in relation to issues such as confidentiality and hours of operation. Educational-promotional activities should focus on such issues as the need for responsible sexual behaviour of young people at risk, increased awareness of pregnancy counselling services and the cultivation of more responsible attitudes to alcohol, with particular regard to alcohol and sexual activity. Where pregnancy counselling services are supported, boards have been asked to ensure that these are available on a drop-in basis without any waiting period and that a choice of service provider is available. Steps to increase women's awareness of post-abortion counselling and of the need for medical check-ups are also being considered. Such check-ups also provide an opportunity for women to obtain advice on appropriate contraception for the future and thereby reduce the incidence of further unwanted pregnancies.
