HIV: Stigma

Lord Roberts of Llandudno Excerpts

Monday 1st December 2014 Lords Chamber

[Earl Howe]

I shall expand on my previous answer. Sex and relationship education is compulsory in maintained secondary schools, although not in academies. All maintained schools and academies have a statutory requirement to have due regard to the Secretary of State’s sex and relationship education guidance, which dates from 2000, when teaching sex and relationship education. The guidance makes it clear that all such education should be age-appropriate and makes the following points about HIV and sexually transmitted infections:

“information and knowledge about HIV/AIDS is vital; young people need to understand what is risky behaviour and what is not; young people need factual information about safer sex and skills to enable them to negotiate safer sex … Young people need to be aware of the risks of contracting a STI and how to prevent it”.

They also need to know about the diagnosis and treatment of HIV and STIs.

[Lord Roberts of Llandudno (LD)]

My Lords, is this not the direction in which we need the devolved health commitment in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland to go? What co-operation is there between them and the English set-up through television programmes, advertising and in other ways? Is this not one of the areas where it is essential to have effective co-operation?

[Earl Howe]

Yes, indeed, my Lords. I can tell my noble friend that there is such co-operation and constant communication between the public health authorities in England and the devolved Administrations on this, as on many other matters.