Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether he is taking steps to permit people living with HIV to serve (a) as pilots, (b) as air traffic controllers and (c) in other roles in the armed forces.

Answered by Luke Pollard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)

As a new Government, we are commissioning a review into the circumstances where those who are living with HIV are not permitted to fulfil some roles within the Armed Forces.

After recent changes there are only a very small number of roles where those living with HIV are currently excluded from serving, including aircrew and pilots. We note changes made to rules around civil aviation in respect of people living with HIV and I have asked the Department to consider whether the current policy measures, especially given advances in PREP, are consistent with the values and standards of our Armed Forces.

I have asked for this review to be delivered swiftly. I would be happy to meet the righ hon. Member and cross-party colleagues to discuss this matter further with a view to a decision being taken by the Ministers in the coming weeks.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to collaborate with international health organizations to improve the (a) surveillance and (b) containment of Mpox globally.

Answered by Anneliese Dodds - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

Lord Collins recently visited DRC and announced £3.1 million to UNICEF to support the local response. This will reach 4.4 million people in affected communities. The UK's £340 million core voluntary contribution to the WHO supports it to allocate resources where they are needed most, including responding to health emergencies such as mpox. We have also contributed £3 million to WHO's Regional Office for Africa for health emergency response. Alongside our financial support, the FCDO continues to monitor the situation closely, staying in regular contact with the WHO and Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to support Mpox vaccine (a) distribution and (b) accessibility in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Answered by Anneliese Dodds - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The UK is second largest donor to Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, providing £1.65 billion over 2021-2025. We are working closely with Gavi to enable access to mpox vaccines for the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and other African countries at risk. The UK have committed £160 million to international partner, Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI). CEPI and Bavarian Nordic recently announced a clinical trial launching in late 2024 to assess vaccine effectiveness in children in Africa. Lord Collins has announced the additional £3.1 million funding to UNICEF for cholera and mpox response. This will reach 4.4 million people in affected communities.

Social Security

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