Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department is taking to publicise opt-out testing for HIV to those attending emergency departments.
Answered by Andrea Leadsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
HIV testing is essential, as it allows those with HIV to be offered lifesaving treatment, and prevents its onward transmission. This is why we have committed to scaling up HIV testing in our HIV Action Plan. As part of the HIV Action Plan, NHS England made an initial £20 million available over three years to 2025, for HIV opt-out testing in 34 emergency departments (EDs) in areas with extremely high HIV prevalence, areas with five or more HIV cases per 1,000 residents aged 15 to 59 years old. The plan also included Blackpool in 2019, at 4.9 HIV cases per 1,000 residents aged 15 to 59 years old, and the whole of London, including some local areas with high HIV prevalence supported with additional funding from NHS London.
In November 2024, the Government announced new research, commissioned through the National Institute for Health and Care Research, to evaluate an expansion of blood-borne virus opt-out testing, including HIV, in 47 additional EDs in local areas of England with high HIV prevalence. These would be areas with two to five HIV cases per 1,000 residents aged 15 to 59 years old, and would include the Wexham Park Hospital and Frimley Park Hospital in Slough. The research project is currently in the set-up phase, and funding will support 12 months of testing for each ED, although it is at the discretion of individual sites when the testing will commence. It is the responsibility of individual EDs to make service users aware of the availability of HIV and other blood-borne virus opt-out testing, as appropriate.
HIV opt-out testing in EDs in areas with extremely high HIV prevalence has shown very encouraging outcomes so far, and at 21 months has delivered 2.6 million HIV tests, and found more than 1,000 people with undiagnosed or untreated HIV, including those who would not have been found via other testing routes. Making HIV testing routine in a front-line health care setting such as an ED, raises the awareness of HIV and helps remove the stigma associated with HIV testing.
We are also working to improve workforce training in the National Health Service to increase HIV awareness, and in collaboration with the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), to continue to monitor the levels of stigma and discrimination experienced by people living with HIV within the health and social care system, as well as within community settings. The UKHSA published the positive voices survey report in early 2024, which presents key indicators for HIV stigma, and is available at the following link:
Further work is underway to develop key indicators for monitoring quality of life and stigma for people living with HIV.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps she is taking to reduce the stigma of HIV testing.
Answered by Andrea Leadsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
HIV testing is essential, as it allows those with HIV to be offered lifesaving treatment, and prevents its onward transmission. This is why we have committed to scaling up HIV testing in our HIV Action Plan. As part of the HIV Action Plan, NHS England made an initial £20 million available over three years to 2025, for HIV opt-out testing in 34 emergency departments (EDs) in areas with extremely high HIV prevalence, areas with five or more HIV cases per 1,000 residents aged 15 to 59 years old. The plan also included Blackpool in 2019, at 4.9 HIV cases per 1,000 residents aged 15 to 59 years old, and the whole of London, including some local areas with high HIV prevalence supported with additional funding from NHS London.
In November 2024, the Government announced new research, commissioned through the National Institute for Health and Care Research, to evaluate an expansion of blood-borne virus opt-out testing, including HIV, in 47 additional EDs in local areas of England with high HIV prevalence. These would be areas with two to five HIV cases per 1,000 residents aged 15 to 59 years old, and would include the Wexham Park Hospital and Frimley Park Hospital in Slough. The research project is currently in the set-up phase, and funding will support 12 months of testing for each ED, although it is at the discretion of individual sites when the testing will commence. It is the responsibility of individual EDs to make service users aware of the availability of HIV and other blood-borne virus opt-out testing, as appropriate.
HIV opt-out testing in EDs in areas with extremely high HIV prevalence has shown very encouraging outcomes so far, and at 21 months has delivered 2.6 million HIV tests, and found more than 1,000 people with undiagnosed or untreated HIV, including those who would not have been found via other testing routes. Making HIV testing routine in a front-line health care setting such as an ED, raises the awareness of HIV and helps remove the stigma associated with HIV testing.
We are also working to improve workforce training in the National Health Service to increase HIV awareness, and in collaboration with the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), to continue to monitor the levels of stigma and discrimination experienced by people living with HIV within the health and social care system, as well as within community settings. The UKHSA published the positive voices survey report in early 2024, which presents key indicators for HIV stigma, and is available at the following link:
Further work is underway to develop key indicators for monitoring quality of life and stigma for people living with HIV.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department is taking to fund HIV treatment.
Answered by Andrea Leadsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The HIV Action Plan is the cornerstone of our approach to driving progress and achieving our goal of ending new HIV transmissions, AIDS, and HIV-related deaths within England by 2030. Rapid access to, and retention in, HIV treatment and care can support those diagnosed with HIV in living healthy lives and maintaining an undetectable viral load, meaning they cannot transmit HIV to their sexual partners.
As demonstrated by our success in meeting the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS’s 95-95-95 targets, England does very well on viral suppression and retention in care, with 98% of those diagnosed being on treatment, and 98% of those on treatment having an undetectable viral load. HIV treatment and care remain world class in England, and most beneficial outcomes remain high across all population groups. HIV treatment is available free of charge from open access HIV clinics in the National Health Service, and funded by the Department though our budget allocation to NHS England.
The HIV Action Plan identifies that regional directors of public health will provide system leadership on HIV at a regional level, and local governance arrangements take various forms. It is for regional and local systems to oversee relevant care provision. The Department has not assessed the adequacy of health care provision for those diagnosed with HIV in local or regional areas, including Slough and the South East.
Local authorities in England are responsible for commissioning open access sexual health services, including HIV prevention and testing services, through the public health grant, funded at £3.6 billion in 2024/25. It is for individual local authorities to decide their spending priorities based on an assessment of local need, and to commission the service lines that best suit their population. The UK Health Security Agency provides support to regions and local government, including helping areas to understand the local situation in depth and identify where to focus efforts.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department is taking to ensure constituencies with a high prevalence of HIV are provided with adequate (a) healthcare provision, (b) prevention services and (c) support services.
Answered by Andrea Leadsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The HIV Action Plan is the cornerstone of our approach to driving progress and achieving our goal of ending new HIV transmissions, AIDS, and HIV-related deaths within England by 2030. Rapid access to, and retention in, HIV treatment and care can support those diagnosed with HIV in living healthy lives and maintaining an undetectable viral load, meaning they cannot transmit HIV to their sexual partners.
As demonstrated by our success in meeting the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS’s 95-95-95 targets, England does very well on viral suppression and retention in care, with 98% of those diagnosed being on treatment, and 98% of those on treatment having an undetectable viral load. HIV treatment and care remain world class in England, and most beneficial outcomes remain high across all population groups. HIV treatment is available free of charge from open access HIV clinics in the National Health Service, and funded by the Department though our budget allocation to NHS England.
The HIV Action Plan identifies that regional directors of public health will provide system leadership on HIV at a regional level, and local governance arrangements take various forms. It is for regional and local systems to oversee relevant care provision. The Department has not assessed the adequacy of health care provision for those diagnosed with HIV in local or regional areas, including Slough and the South East.
Local authorities in England are responsible for commissioning open access sexual health services, including HIV prevention and testing services, through the public health grant, funded at £3.6 billion in 2024/25. It is for individual local authorities to decide their spending priorities based on an assessment of local need, and to commission the service lines that best suit their population. The UK Health Security Agency provides support to regions and local government, including helping areas to understand the local situation in depth and identify where to focus efforts.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of health care provision for those diagnosed with HIV in (a) Slough and (b) the South East.
Answered by Andrea Leadsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The HIV Action Plan is the cornerstone of our approach to driving progress and achieving our goal of ending new HIV transmissions, AIDS, and HIV-related deaths within England by 2030. Rapid access to, and retention in, HIV treatment and care can support those diagnosed with HIV in living healthy lives and maintaining an undetectable viral load, meaning they cannot transmit HIV to their sexual partners.
As demonstrated by our success in meeting the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS’s 95-95-95 targets, England does very well on viral suppression and retention in care, with 98% of those diagnosed being on treatment, and 98% of those on treatment having an undetectable viral load. HIV treatment and care remain world class in England, and most beneficial outcomes remain high across all population groups. HIV treatment is available free of charge from open access HIV clinics in the National Health Service, and funded by the Department though our budget allocation to NHS England.
The HIV Action Plan identifies that regional directors of public health will provide system leadership on HIV at a regional level, and local governance arrangements take various forms. It is for regional and local systems to oversee relevant care provision. The Department has not assessed the adequacy of health care provision for those diagnosed with HIV in local or regional areas, including Slough and the South East.
Local authorities in England are responsible for commissioning open access sexual health services, including HIV prevention and testing services, through the public health grant, funded at £3.6 billion in 2024/25. It is for individual local authorities to decide their spending priorities based on an assessment of local need, and to commission the service lines that best suit their population. The UK Health Security Agency provides support to regions and local government, including helping areas to understand the local situation in depth and identify where to focus efforts.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what guidelines his Department has issued on ensuring the (a) anonymity and (b) safety of jurors in high-profile cases.
Answered by Mike Freer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
There is no expectation of anonymity for jurors in trials. It is standard procedure that jurors’ names are called out to allow the defendant, or the defence’s legal representative, the opportunity to object to any person called, if for example they have knowledge of the defendant or of the case, which may be prejudicial to the trial.
However, Criminal Procedure Rule 25.6(4) allows for jurors to be announced by an identifying number assigned by the court officer to that person (rather than by their name) where the court is satisfied that that is necessary.
We take the safety of jurors and all those who attend the crown court seriously. Jurors are advised to make immediate contact with HMCTS staff if they are approached by anyone they think may be connected to the case they are part of the jury for, or if they feel threatened or concerned. If they are not in the courthouse and think they are in immediate danger, jurors are advised to dial 999.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that areas with a high prevalence of HIV receive support for delivering pre-existing HIV services.
Answered by Andrea Leadsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The HIV Action Plan is the cornerstone of our approach to driving progress and achieving our goal of ending new HIV transmissions, AIDS, and HIV-related deaths within England by 2030. Rapid access to, and retention in, HIV treatment and care can support those diagnosed with HIV in living healthy lives and maintaining an undetectable viral load, meaning they cannot transmit HIV to their sexual partners.
As demonstrated by our success in meeting the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS’s 95-95-95 targets, England does very well on viral suppression and retention in care, with 98% of those diagnosed being on treatment, and 98% of those on treatment having an undetectable viral load. HIV treatment and care remain world class in England, and most beneficial outcomes remain high across all population groups. HIV treatment is available free of charge from open access HIV clinics in the National Health Service, and funded by the Department though our budget allocation to NHS England.
The HIV Action Plan identifies that regional directors of public health will provide system leadership on HIV at a regional level, and local governance arrangements take various forms. It is for regional and local systems to oversee relevant care provision. The Department has not assessed the adequacy of health care provision for those diagnosed with HIV in local or regional areas, including Slough and the South East.
Local authorities in England are responsible for commissioning open access sexual health services, including HIV prevention and testing services, through the public health grant, funded at £3.6 billion in 2024/25. It is for individual local authorities to decide their spending priorities based on an assessment of local need, and to commission the service lines that best suit their population. The UK Health Security Agency provides support to regions and local government, including helping areas to understand the local situation in depth and identify where to focus efforts.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate he has made of the potential cost to the public purse of Operation Timber.
Answered by Robbie Moore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Fundamentally the company is responsible for raising capital, be it equity or debt – not the regulator or the Government. There are a variety of avenues to explore, which it is vital the company must do, while continuing to fulfil its statutory obligations of providing water and wastewater services to customers.
The Government and Ofwat will always act to protect consumers as a priority and any intervention that would put pressure on the public purse would be considered very seriously and as a last resort.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department has undertaken consultations with (a) stakeholders and (b) investors in relation to Operation Timber in the last 12 months.
Answered by Robbie Moore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Fundamentally water companies are commercial entities, and it would be inappropriate to comment further on the specific situation of any individual company.
The Government and Ofwat – the financial regulator for the water sector – are carefully monitoring the situation, and Ofwat continues to engage with Thames Water to support it in improving its financial resilience within the context of its licence and broader statutory obligations.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether it remains his policy that the new health and safety checks for EU imports will begin on 30 April 2024.
Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Yes, the guidance for businesses, Government IT systems and infrastructure are in place, or are on track, to ensure delivery of the BTOM milestones.
Checks are commencing from 30 April and medium and high-risk goods posing the greatest biosecurity risk are being prioritised as implementation builds up to full check rates and high levels of compliance. DEFRA will gradually increase changes in controlled stages to balance biosecurity risk and maintain trade flows whilst minimising disruption risk at the border. Current check rates applied to rest of world consignments will be maintained, or set to agreed BTOM levels, and will not be impacted by this incremental approach.