Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the (a) availability of a catch up programme for boys who miss out on receiving the HPV vaccine, (b) capacity in sexual health clinics to support the delivery of the HPV vaccine programme for gay and bisexual men and (c) levels of unmet need of eligible boys and men who have not received the HPV vaccine.

In 2020/21, 71% of males in year 8 received their first dose of human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine and 54.7% of males in year 9 received a second dose. Providers are running catch up programmes for those academic cohorts who may have missed HPV vaccinations during the COVID-19 pandemic. Additionally, boys can also receive their vaccination through the National Health Service commissioned School Aged Immunisation Service providers or from their general practitioner until the age of 25 years old.

HPV vaccinations are available in all sexual health trusts for men who have sex with men (MSM). Evidence suggests that well over 50% of MSM regularly attending sexual health clinics have received at least one HPV vaccination. Regional commissioners work with vaccine providers to review uptake numbers and respond to any issues with operational delivery.