3. 2. Business Statement and Announcement

Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 2:20 pm on 4 July 2017.

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Photo of Julie Morgan Julie Morgan Labour 2:20, 4 July 2017

I welcome the response of the First Minister in First Minister’s questions to the leader of Plaid Cymru about the issue of access to free abortions for women from Northern Ireland in Wales. I wanted to applaud the efforts of Labour backbencher Stella Creasy, whose campaigning and actions resulted in the Westminster Government making this decision in England. I call for a detailed statement from the Welsh Government, from the health and social services Cabinet Secretary, about how this will be implemented in Wales. I understand that, last year, 724 women from Northern Ireland accessed abortions in England and Wales. So, could we have a statement to clarify the Welsh numbers? The funding—I note the funding from Westminster will be from the UK Government’s equality office. And, obviously, what about the issue of travel and expense costs? Because a Supreme Court case earlier this year was brought by a pregnant 15-year-old and her mother, who travelled from Northern Ireland to Manchester, and the cost was £900. Obviously, this sort of payment adds to the stress and stigma attached to such a distressing occasion.