AQW 5800/16-21

Mrs Naomi Long
Alliance Party
East Belfast

Tabled Date: 20/10/2016
Answered On Date: 04/11/2016
Priority Written: No

Question:
To ask the Minister of Health how long it took the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety to draft and launch the Sexual Health Promotion Strategy during the 2011-2016 Assembly mandate.

Answer:

The five year Sexual Health Promotion Strategy and Action Plan was published in December 2008. In June 2013, the then Minister for Health agreed to extend the life of the Strategy and Action Plan for a further two years. This work commenced in the summer of 2013. The updated Action Plan was published in March 2014 and ran to the end of December 2015.

The Public Health Agency facilitated a major sexual health workshop on 25 October with stakeholders to consider key issues and potential actions for improving sexual health services and approaches to sexual health promotion. I will consider the report on the outcome and proposals from this workshop before making any decision on the way forward.