Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of trends in the level of funding provided to HIV charities on (a) HIV health outcomes and (b) the delivery of the HIV Action Plan for England target of ending new HIV transmissions by 2030.

As part of the development of the new HIV Action Plan, the Department, through its HIV Prevention England Programme (HPE), recently hosted engagement sessions with approximately 60 voluntary and community Sector (VCS) and external partners. Professor Kevin Fenton, the Government’s Chief Advisor on HIV, has also hosted a series of engagement workshops with approximately 250 system partners, including the VCS and people with lived experience. These discussions highlighted the impact of trends in the level of funding provided to HIV charities, and are being considered as we develop the new HIV Action Plan, which we aim to publish this year.

In 2025/26, the Department is investing £1.5 million to fund HPE, which is being delivered by the Terrence Higgins Trust. Furthermore, a key component of the Government’s successful HIV emergency department opt-out testing programme includes a recommendation that 10% of the funding allocated to each site should be used to support community and peer support services for individuals diagnosed with a blood borne virus. The Department does not hold detailed financial information on locally commissioned HIV services.

Funding for future work will be determined by the Spending Review. Although we have reached an overall settlement for the Department, the details of the budget allocations are still being determined. The Department is working to provide the detail and certainty needed on future funding and spending plans as soon as possible.