Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Ashley Dalton and Matthew Patrick

Tuesday 11th February 2025 Commons Chamber

[Matthew Patrick (Wirral West) (Lab)]

T8. As we heard from my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State, this is National HIV Testing Week. In the Liverpool city region, Steve Rotheram is forming plans to end new HIV cases by 2030, and the Royal Liverpool university hospital is starting opt-out testing. As my right hon. Friend said, this week, our Prime Minister became the first leader in, I think, the G20 to take an HIV test. What plans does my right hon. Friend have to ensure that there is more HIV testing beyond this important week?

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Health and Social Care (Ashley Dalton)]

Increasing HIV testing is a vital step towards meeting our goal, and it will be a core element of our new HIV action plan, which will be published later in the year. We are investing more than £4.5 million in delivering a national prevention programme, and, with backing of an extra £1.5 million, we will extend the programme for a further year, until March 2026.