Asked by: Baroness Gould of Potternewton (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what actions have been taken to encourage early testing for HIV among ethnic minority communities.
Answered by Lord Prior of Brampton
As part of the Public Health England (PHE) commissioned national HIV Prevention programme, a national social marketing campaign took place through National HIV Testing Week to raise awareness of the importance of HIV testing and opportunities to test in different settings. The campaign has specifically tailored its message to ethnic minority women at a higher risk for HIV acquisition. In addition, all women from black African backgrounds can access the national HIV self-sampling service. PHE is funding all requests for HIV self-sampling kits made through the national service until 8 January 2017.
The national HIV prevention programme is focused on at-risk populations including black Africans and other black and minority ethnic groups with a high or increasing burden of infection. In addition, in the first nine months of operation (November 2015 to September 2016) of the national HIV self-sampling service 35,347 kits were delivered of which 18,270 were returned. Of the returned kits, 19% (3,447) were returned by individuals who self-ascribed as being from black and minority ethnic communities. Of the returned kits, 56 gave a reactive result (1.6%), which was above the service average of 1.1%.
The HIV Innovation Fund is supporting a number of projects which focus on ethnic minority communities including tackling stigma and promoting testing.
Asked by: Baroness Gould of Potternewton (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what specific policies or initiatives have been implemented to encourage ethnic minority women to test for HIV beyond maternity care.
Answered by Lord Prior of Brampton
As part of the Public Health England (PHE) commissioned national HIV Prevention programme, a national social marketing campaign took place through National HIV Testing Week to raise awareness of the importance of HIV testing and opportunities to test in different settings. The campaign has specifically tailored its message to ethnic minority women at a higher risk for HIV acquisition. In addition, all women from black African backgrounds can access the national HIV self-sampling service. PHE is funding all requests for HIV self-sampling kits made through the national service until 8 January 2017.
The national HIV prevention programme is focused on at-risk populations including black Africans and other black and minority ethnic groups with a high or increasing burden of infection. In addition, in the first nine months of operation (November 2015 to September 2016) of the national HIV self-sampling service 35,347 kits were delivered of which 18,270 were returned. Of the returned kits, 19% (3,447) were returned by individuals who self-ascribed as being from black and minority ethnic communities. Of the returned kits, 56 gave a reactive result (1.6%), which was above the service average of 1.1%.
The HIV Innovation Fund is supporting a number of projects which focus on ethnic minority communities including tackling stigma and promoting testing.
Asked by: Baroness Gould of Potternewton (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government when they intend to made a decision on the future status of civil partnerships.
Answered by Lord Nash
The Government received a petition on extending civil partnerships to opposite sex couples from the Equal Civil Partnerships Campaign on 17 November.
We are currently waiting for a judgment from the Court of Appeal on this matter and are unable to comment whilst legal action is ongoing.
The Government is committed to equality, and we will provide an update on the Government’s position on civil partnerships once legal proceedings have concluded.
Asked by: Baroness Gould of Potternewton (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their response to the petition presented to the Minister for Women and Equalities calling for the extension of civil partnerships to different sex couples.
Answered by Lord Nash
The Government received a petition on extending civil partnerships to opposite sex couples from the Equal Civil Partnerships Campaign on 17 November.
We are currently waiting for a judgment from the Court of Appeal on this matter and are unable to comment whilst legal action is ongoing.
The Government is committed to equality, and we will provide an update on the Government’s position on civil partnerships once legal proceedings have concluded.
Asked by: Baroness Gould of Potternewton (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking, additional to the Public Health Outcomes Framework, to ensure that the benefits of early testing for HIV are realised.
Answered by Lord Prior of Brampton
Local authorities are responsible for the commissioning of services to test and diagnose HIV. NHS England commissions treatment and care for those accessing HIV services from the point of HIV diagnosis onwards. Commissioners will take account of the British HIV Association standards, but these are not mandatory. Public Health England (PHE) has a comprehensive surveillance system that captures new HIV diagnoses and subsequent HIV care throughout the United Kingdom. These data are not only used to monitor the numbers living with HIV, but the quality of care received. This information directly informs the commissioning of HIV services which ensures data are complete and includes every individual in HIV care.
In the UK, PHE data demonstrate 97% of patients were linked to care within three months of diagnosis in 2015 and overall, 96% of people seen for HIV care received treatment with anti-retroviral therapy, and 94% of those treated achieved viral suppression. People with a suppressed viral load are extremely unlikely to pass on their infection. These data show that the benefits of early HIV testing are fully realised as the vast majority of people are rapidly linked to care, and effectively treated, so that they are no longer at risk from passing on their infection.
Asked by: Baroness Gould of Potternewton (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how they plan to ensure full adoption of the British HIV Association standards to deliver optimal HIV diagnosis and care.
Answered by Lord Prior of Brampton
Local authorities are responsible for the commissioning of services to test and diagnose HIV. NHS England commissions treatment and care for those accessing HIV services from the point of HIV diagnosis onwards. Commissioners will take account of the British HIV Association standards, but these are not mandatory. Public Health England (PHE) has a comprehensive surveillance system that captures new HIV diagnoses and subsequent HIV care throughout the United Kingdom. These data are not only used to monitor the numbers living with HIV, but the quality of care received. This information directly informs the commissioning of HIV services which ensures data are complete and includes every individual in HIV care.
In the UK, PHE data demonstrate 97% of patients were linked to care within three months of diagnosis in 2015 and overall, 96% of people seen for HIV care received treatment with anti-retroviral therapy, and 94% of those treated achieved viral suppression. People with a suppressed viral load are extremely unlikely to pass on their infection. These data show that the benefits of early HIV testing are fully realised as the vast majority of people are rapidly linked to care, and effectively treated, so that they are no longer at risk from passing on their infection.
Asked by: Baroness Gould of Potternewton (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what further steps they intend to take to ensure that HIV indicator conditions, such as shingles and glandular fever, are understood by medical professionals as an opportunity to offer a HIV test.
Answered by Lord Prior of Brampton
Health Education England has developed a number of e-learning sessions on Sexual Health and HIV across programmes designed for foundation trainees, general practitioners, dentists and radiologists, as well as specialists. The programmes cover topics such as HIV testing, the importance of early diagnosis and oral manifestations of HIV and AIDS. The content for these programmes is available to all National Health Service employees irrespective of their speciality.
The Department has funded the Medical Foundation for AIDS and Sexual Health to produce resources to support non-specialist clinicians in primary and secondary care services to offer HIV testing to help reduce late diagnosis of HIV. This includes HIV Testing in Practice, an interactive web-based resource for primary care which went live in November 2014.
Asked by: Baroness Gould of Potternewton (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether, in the light of the introduction of different-sex civil partnerships on the Isle of Man, they intend to issue a consultation on extending civil partnerships to different-sex couples in the UK.
Answered by Lord Nash
The Government has already carried out a consultation on the future of civil partnerships in 2014, and has no plans to carry out another consultation on this issue.
Following the passage of the Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Act 2013, we carried out a full review of the operation and future of the Civil Partnership Act 2004, which included a thorough public consultation on potential changes to civil partnership. Views were invited on three options: abolishing civil partnerships; phasing them out; or extending them to opposite sex couples.
The review found that there was no clear consensus on the future of civil partnerships. A majority of respondents to the consultation were against extending civil partnerships to opposite sex couples and a significant number of stakeholders thought it was too soon to consider making changes to civil partnerships until the impact of extending marriage to same sex couples is known. Given the lack of any consensus, the Government has no current plans to make changes to the Civil Partnership Act 2004.
Asked by: Baroness Gould of Potternewton (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have any plans to issue guidance to local authorities on the definition of priority with regards to homelessness applications in England.
Answered by Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth
England has a strong homelessness safety net in legislation, as set out in the Housing Act 1996. The circumstances by which an applicant will be deemed to be in priority need are outlined in the statutory Homelessness Code of Guidance for Local Authorities (2006). Chapter Ten of the Code of Guidance outlines the following categories of applicant who have a priority need for accommodation under the homelessness legislation:
i) a pregnant woman or a person with whom she resides or might reasonably be expected to reside;
ii) a person with whom dependent children reside or might reasonably be expected to reside;
iii) a person who is vulnerable as a result of old age, mental illness or handicap or physical disability or other special reason, or with whom such a person resides or might reasonably be expected to reside;
iv) a person aged 16 or 17 who is not a ‘relevant child’ or a child in need to whom a local authority owes a duty under section 20 of the Children Act 1989;
v) a person under 21 who was (but is no longer) looked after, accommodated or fostered between the ages of 16 and 18;
vi) a person aged 21 or more who is vulnerable as a result of having been looked after, accommodated or fostered;
vii) a person who is vulnerable as a result of having been a member of Her Majesty’s regular naval, military or air forces;
viii) a person who is vulnerable as a result of:
a) having served a custodial sentence,
(b) having been committed for contempt of court or any other kindred offence, or
(c) having been remanded in custody;
ix) a person who is vulnerable as a result of ceasing to occupy accommodation because of violence from another person or threats of violence from another person which are likely to be carried out;
x) a person who is vulnerable for any other special reason, or with whom such a person resides or might reasonably be expected to reside; and
xi) a person who is homeless, or threatened with homelessness, as a result of an emergency such as flood, fire or other disaster.
Asked by: Baroness Gould of Potternewton (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what are the circumstances in which an individual can be assessed as having a housing priority need in a local authority in England.
Answered by Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth
England has a strong homelessness safety net in legislation, as set out in the Housing Act 1996. The circumstances by which an applicant will be deemed to be in priority need are outlined in the statutory Homelessness Code of Guidance for Local Authorities (2006). Chapter Ten of the Code of Guidance outlines the following categories of applicant who have a priority need for accommodation under the homelessness legislation:
i) a pregnant woman or a person with whom she resides or might reasonably be expected to reside;
ii) a person with whom dependent children reside or might reasonably be expected to reside;
iii) a person who is vulnerable as a result of old age, mental illness or handicap or physical disability or other special reason, or with whom such a person resides or might reasonably be expected to reside;
iv) a person aged 16 or 17 who is not a ‘relevant child’ or a child in need to whom a local authority owes a duty under section 20 of the Children Act 1989;
v) a person under 21 who was (but is no longer) looked after, accommodated or fostered between the ages of 16 and 18;
vi) a person aged 21 or more who is vulnerable as a result of having been looked after, accommodated or fostered;
vii) a person who is vulnerable as a result of having been a member of Her Majesty’s regular naval, military or air forces;
viii) a person who is vulnerable as a result of:
a) having served a custodial sentence,
(b) having been committed for contempt of court or any other kindred offence, or
(c) having been remanded in custody;
ix) a person who is vulnerable as a result of ceasing to occupy accommodation because of violence from another person or threats of violence from another person which are likely to be carried out;
x) a person who is vulnerable for any other special reason, or with whom such a person resides or might reasonably be expected to reside; and
xi) a person who is homeless, or threatened with homelessness, as a result of an emergency such as flood, fire or other disaster.