Asked by: Baroness Barker (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many HIV testing kits were supplied between 1 and 7 February 2021, and of those, how many positive HIV tests were recorded.
Answered by Lord Markham - Shadow Minister (Science, Innovation and Technology)
During the period between 1 and 7 February 2021, 19,342 HIV testing kits were dispatched, and 84 were reactive. The following table shows, using the data currently available, the number of HIV testing kits that were ordered and dispatched for National HIV Testing Week (NHTW) campaigns between 2019/20 and 2022/23:
England Total | Ordered kits | Dispatched kits | HIV reactive | HIV reactivity |
2019/20 | 19,863 | 19,496 | 81 | 0.8% |
2020/21 | 30,612 | 30,876 | 135 | 0.7% |
2021/22 | 24,409 | 23,520 | 75 | 0.6% |
2022/23 | 22,408 | 21,626 | 79 | 0.4% |
Notes:
NHTW focuses on communities disproportionately affected by HIV though tests are available to be ordered by anyone in England. We have some data available on the demographic profile of people requesting an HIV testing kit during NHTW, with 44% of HIV testing kit requests in 2023 coming from gay and bisexual men who have sex with men.
Black African people’s uptake of testing kits has tripled since 2021, accounting for 10% of orders made. During NHTW in 2023, self-testing kits were made available for the first time and were particularly popular amongst black African groups. The percentage of heterosexual men who requested a testing kit has doubled since 2021, from 11% to 22% in 2023 and the percentage of heterosexual women has also steadily increased year on year.
We continue working closely together with our key partners in the HIV Prevention Programme monitoring and evaluating the results of the campaign to ensure we continue progressing towards our 2030 ambitions.
Asked by: Maria Eagle (Labour - Liverpool Garston)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to page 40 of the Defence Equipment and Support Annual Report and Accounts 2022-23, what the 16 sub-targets were; and of those, which (a) were and (b) were not met.
Answered by James Cartlidge - Shadow Secretary of State for Defence
The status of the 16 sub-targets for DE&S KPI 4.1 (Culture and Inclusion), at the end of reporting year 2022-23, is shown in the table below. Note that since the publication of these sub-targets the nomenclature of the grade Senior Admin Specialist (SAS) has changed to Senior Technical Specialist.
Targets | Status | |
Commercial | Increase Ethnic Minority (EM) representation at Senior Admin Specialist (SAS) – Professional II (PII) to 6.5% | Not Met |
Increase female representation at Professional I (PI) – Senior Professional (SP) to 41.8% | Met | |
Corporate Services Group | Increase female representation at SP to be 35% | Not Met |
Increase EM representation to be 6% | Not Met | |
Engineering | 20% of Engineering new joiners to be female | Not Met |
Maintain female attrition 0.5% below male rate | Not Met | |
Finance & Accounting | Increase disabled representation at PI - SP to 4.2% | Not Met |
Increase EM representation at PI - SP to 8.4% | Met | |
HR | Increase EM representation to 7.5% | Met |
Maintain Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Other representation at ≥3.4% | Met | |
Integrated Logistics | Increase female representation in PII-SP to 26.5% | Met |
Increase EM representation in PII - PI to 4.9% | Not Met | |
Information Management & IT | Increase female representation at PII – SP to 30.5% | Met |
Increase in EM representation at PII – SP to 7.1% | Met | |
Project Delivery | Increase female representation at PI to 30% | Not Met |
Increase EM representation at PI to 4% | Not Met | |
DE&S uses its own grade structure and grading methodology. This utilises a broadly comparable read across to Civil Service grades, but does not confirm exact grade equivalency between DE&S and other Civil Service organisations:
DE&S Grade | Civil Service Grade |
Senior Leadership Group 3 (SLG3*) | Director General (Senior Civil Service 3) |
Senior Leadership Group 2 (SLG2*) | Director (Senior Civil Service 2) |
Senior Leadership Group 1 (SLG1*) | Deputy Director (Senior Civil Service 1) |
Senior Professional (SP) | G6 |
Professional I (PI) | G7 |
Professional II (PII) | Senior Executive Officer (SEO) |
Senior Technical/Senior Specialist I (STSI) | Higher Executive Officer (HEO) |
Senior Technical/Senior Specialist II (STSII) | Executive Officer (EO) |
Technical/Specialist I (TSI) | Administrative Officer (AO) |
Technical/Specialist II (TSII) | Administrative Assistant (AA) |
Asked by: Florence Eshalomi (Labour (Co-op) - Vauxhall and Camberwell Green)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what information her Department holds on the number of (a) men who have sex with men, (b) women, (c) Black men and (d) Black women that were accessing PrEP in England in (i) 2021, (ii) 2022 and (iii) 2023.
Answered by Andrea Leadsom
Data for 2023 is not yet available and is to be published in autumn of 2024. The following table shows the number of people in 2021 and 2022 who initiated or continued HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) at sexual health services (SHSs) in England in the past two years for the demographic groups requested, as well as the proportion among those with HIV PrEP need:
| 2021 | 2022 |
England | 61,510 (69.7%) | 86,324(71.0%) |
Gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men | 51,689 (72.2%) | 72,457 (73.5%) |
Women | 1,237 (31.5%) | 2,467 (41.9%) |
Black men (black African, black Caribbean and black other categories) | 2,408 (61.7%) | 2,986 (61.7%) |
Black women (black African, black Caribbean and black other categories) | 80 (19.0%) | 175 (30.2%) |
More data is available at the following links:
https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/hiv-annual-data-tables
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether she has made a recent assessment of trends in the level of sexually transmitted diseases in (a) men and (b) women.
Answered by Andrea Leadsom
The UK Health Security Agency publishes annual official statistics on sexually transmitted infections (STIs), and in 2022 there were 392,453 new diagnoses of STIs in local government commissioned sexual health services England, an increase of 23.8% compared to 2021 with 317,022, but 16.2% lower compared to 2019 with 468,260. This increase can be partially explained by the recovery in provision of sexual health services in 2022 following the easing of restrictions imposed during the COVID-19 pandemic. New STI diagnoses increased by 19% from 140,671 to 167,390 in women, and by 24% in men from 164,022 to 202,605 from 2021 to 2022.
STIs continue to show socioeconomic variation and disproportionately impact gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men, young people aged between 15 and 24 years old and some black ethnic groups. Young people aged between 15 and 24 years old remain the group most likely to be diagnosed with common STIs, and this may be due to higher rates of partner change among people aged between 16 and 24 years old. Young women may be more likely to be diagnosed with an STI due to an increased likelihood of them having male partners who are older than them.
Official STI statistics for 2022 are available at the following link:
https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/sexually-transmitted-infections-stis-annual-data-tables
Asked by: Lord Black of Brentwood (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have any plans to collaborate with media organisations, social media influencers, and public figures including celebrities, to portray accurate and empathetic representations of people living with HIV in order to counteract harmful stereotypes; and, if so, what are their plans.
Answered by Lord Markham - Shadow Minister (Science, Innovation and Technology)
HIV Prevention England (HPE) is the national HIV prevention programme for England and is funded at £3.5 million by the Department. The programme aims to support communities who are disproportionately affected by HIV, including gay, bisexual and men who have sex with men and Black African heterosexual men and women. The Department has appointed Terrence Higgins Trust, a national charity who provide services related to sexual heath and HIV, to deliver the programme from 2021 to 2024. HPE delivers a nationally co-ordinated programme of HIV prevention work, including public campaigns such as National HIV Testing Week, that is designed to complement locally commissioned prevention activities in areas of high HIV prevalence. HPE also aims to improve knowledge and understating of HIV transmission and reducing stigma within affected communities.
HPE works with a wide range of models and their network of influencers and develops its strategies based on comprehensive data, audience insight and knowledge from local partners within England which ensure a wide range of patient’s voices and experiences are represented.
Asked by: Lord Black of Brentwood (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they are planning to implement comprehensive public education campaigns to raise awareness about HIV transmission and treatment advancements, and to tackle stigma; and, if so, what are their plans.
Answered by Lord Markham - Shadow Minister (Science, Innovation and Technology)
HIV Prevention England (HPE) is the national HIV prevention programme for England and is funded at £3.5 million by the Department. The programme aims to support communities who are disproportionately affected by HIV, including gay, bisexual and men who have sex with men and Black African heterosexual men and women. The Department has appointed Terrence Higgins Trust, a national charity who provide services related to sexual heath and HIV, to deliver the programme from 2021 to 2024. HPE delivers a nationally co-ordinated programme of HIV prevention work, including public campaigns such as National HIV Testing Week, that is designed to complement locally commissioned prevention activities in areas of high HIV prevalence. HPE also aims to improve knowledge and understating of HIV transmission and reducing stigma within affected communities.
HPE works with a wide range of models and their network of influencers and develops its strategies based on comprehensive data, audience insight and knowledge from local partners within England which ensure a wide range of patient’s voices and experiences are represented.
Asked by: Maggie Throup (Conservative - Erewash)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking with (a) women's organizations, (b) community leaders and (c) influencers to amplify messages about (i) prevention, (ii) testing and (iii) de-stigmatization of HIV among women.
Answered by Andrea Leadsom
HIV Prevention England (HPE) is the national HIV prevention programme for England and is funded at £3.5 million by the Department. The programme aims to support communities who are disproportionately affected by HIV, including gay, bisexual and men who have sex with men and Black African heterosexual men and women.
The Department has appointed Terrence Higgins Trust, a national charity who provide services related to sexual heath and HIV, to deliver the programme from 2021-2024. HPE delivers a nationally co-ordinated programme of HIV prevention work that is designed to complement locally commissioned prevention activities in areas with high HIV prevalence and for communities at risk of HIV transmission, with a particular focus on women. HPE also aims to improve knowledge and understanding of HIV transmission and reduce stigma within affected communities through the delivery of public campaigns such as National HIV Testing Week, and evidence-based HIV prevention interventions in partnership with local organisations and charities, including women-led organisations.
HPE work with a wide range of models and their network of influencers. As part of HPE campaigns, a range of people share their stories and experiences on HIV, STIs and sexual health this includes women and other people who are likely to be recognisable to specific demographics.
Asked by: Florence Eshalomi (Labour (Co-op) - Vauxhall and Camberwell Green)
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 collaborate with (a) community leaders, (b) faith-based organizations and (c) grassroots initiatives to (i) facilitate open conversations, (ii) reduce stigma and (iii) encourage testing about HIV.
Answered by Andrea Leadsom
HIV Prevention England (HPE) is the national HIV prevention programme for England and is funded at £3.5 million over three years by the Department, as part of the Government’s HIV Action Plan (HIVAP).
The programme aims to support communities who are disproportionately affected by HIV, in particular gay, bisexual and men who have sex with men and Black African heterosexual men and women. The Department has appointed Terrence Higgins Trust, a national charity who provide services related to sexual heath and HIV, to deliver the programme from 2021-2024. HPE delivers a nationally co-ordinated programme of HIV prevention work, including public campaigns such as National HIV Testing Week, that is designed to complement locally commissioned prevention activities in areas of high HIV prevalence. HPE also aims to improve knowledge and understanding of HIV transmission and reduce stigma within affected communities.
As part of the HIV Action Plan, we established a community advisory group (CAG) comprised by voluntary and community sector representatives who provide a forum to further enable strengthened partnerships and joint working to help meet the goals, objectives and actions in the HIVAP. They will also provide the HIV Action Plan Implementation Steering Group (ISG) with advice and expertise on its direction, approach, and outputs in regard to achieving the ambitions set out within the HIVAP. The ISG will consider the advice and, if needed, take appropriate action to ensure we meet our Action Plan’s objectives. Members of the CAG can be found at the following link:
Asked by: Florence Eshalomi (Labour (Co-op) - Vauxhall and Camberwell Green)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department is taking steps to create tailored HIV awareness campaigns for the black community.
Answered by Andrea Leadsom
HIV Prevention England (HPE) is the national HIV prevention programme for England and is funded with £3.5 million over three years by the Department of Health and Social Care, as part of the Government’s HIV Action Plan.
The programme aims to support communities who are disproportionately affected by HIV, in particular gay people, bisexual people and men who have sex with men and Black African heterosexual men and women. The Department has appointed Terrence Higgins Trust, a national charity who provide services related to sexual heath and HIV, to deliver the programme from 2021-2024. HPE delivers a nationally co-ordinated programme of HIV prevention work, including public campaigns such as National HIV Testing Week, that is designed to complement locally commissioned prevention activities in areas of high HIV prevalence. HPE also aims to improve knowledge and understanding of HIV transmission and reduce stigma within affected communities.
HPE work with a wide range of models and their network of influencers and develops its strategies based on comprehensive data, audience insight and knowledge from local partners within England, which ensure a wide range of patient voices and experiences are represented, including those within the black community. Campaigns are promoted using a multi-channel approach including specialist channels relevant to the audiences and targeting via digital platforms and social media.
Asked by: Kate Osborne (Labour - Jarrow and Gateshead East)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department plans to take steps to partner with (a) media outlets and (b) influencers to promote information on HIV and safe sex practices within the black community.
Answered by Andrea Leadsom
HIV Prevention England (HPE) is the national HIV prevention programme for England and is funded at £3.5 million over three years by the Department, as part of the Government’s HIV Action Plan.
The programme aims to support communities who are disproportionately affected by HIV, in particular gay, bisexual and men who have sex with men and Black African heterosexual men and women. The Department has appointed Terrence Higgins Trust, a national charity that provides services related to sexual heath and HIV, to deliver the programme from 2021 to 2024. HPE delivers a nationally co-ordinated programme of HIV prevention work, including public campaigns such as National HIV Testing Week, that is designed to complement locally commissioned prevention activities in areas of high HIV prevalence. HPE also aims to improve knowledge and understating of HIV transmission and reduce stigma within affected communities.
HPE works with a wide range of models and their network of influencers and develops its strategies based on comprehensive data, audience insight and knowledge from local partners within England, which ensure a wide range of patient’s voices and experiences are represented including those within the black community. Campaigns are promoted using a multi-channel approach including specialist channels relevant to the audiences and targeting via digital platforms and social media.