Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much funding his Department has provided to Blackpool to help (a) reduce and (b) detect HIV infections, including on a new opt-out testing programme at Blackpool Victoria Hospital.

NHS England will invest £20 million over the next three years to expand opt-out testing in emergency departments in the highest prevalence local authority areas, including Blackpool.

Since 2013 the Government has mandated local authorities in England to commission comprehensive open access to most sexual and reproductive health services, including free and confidential HIV testing through the Public Health Grant. In 2021/22, the Public Health Grant was adjusted to include the cost of financing pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), which reduces the risk of acquiring HIV infection. Blackpool received £18,705,648, of which £69,525 was allocated to PrEP provision. Funding for PrEP is now included within the Public Health Grant and embedded within its baseline for 2022/23. In 2022/23 Blackpool has been allocated £19,231,130.