HIV Testing Week
James Asser Excerpts(6 days, 19 hours ago)
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James Asser (West Ham and Beckton) (Lab)
It is a pleasure to see you in the Chair, Dr Allin-Khan. I thank the right hon. Member for Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale and Tweeddale (David Mundell) for securing the debate and for all the work he does on this; it is very much appreciated. We have just had another successful National HIV Testing Week, and I join others in paying tribute to the Prime Minister for his participation. That will be a huge boost in awareness-raising. I also thank the Terrence Higgins Trust for its work on this, and for focusing us on the 2030 goal.
My own campaigning journey started at university more than 30 years ago as we worked to fight the stigma around HIV in what was a very different era, as my hon. Friend the Member for Sittingbourne and Sheppey (Kevin McKenna) so effectively outlined. Mine—ours—is the generation that came out just after the one that had lost so many to AIDS, into a world before effective treatment where so many were still losing their lives. We were, however, on the cusp of the era that now knows living with HIV to be living with a long-term condition. Yes, progress is often fraught with challenges and difficulties, but if we test people, find people who were previously undiagnosed and treat them, they will have a normal life expectancy. How things have changed.
The magnitude of the 2030 goal should never be lost on us. To be a country that ends the onward transmission of HIV is a massive task. Think about how it will change dating and relationships in this country, and think about how it might change how we treat each other. To think that we could be the first country in the world to make that happen—that would have seemed like a miracle to all my friends when I turned 18. It would show British excellence on a global stage, and it would be social justice that was impact-aligned. If we were to achieve such a remarkable goal, it would be the first time we had stopped the onward transmission of a virus without a vaccine and without a cure. We cannot afford to fail.
There is a lot that we should be encouraged by. The proposal has cross-party support, and that is welcome. I pay tribute to the previous Government, which did much to enable opt-out testing in A&Es across the country. We are all delighted to see the new Government back that up with the £27 million announced in December, which will enable this highly effective programme to take place in 90 A&Es from this summer. However, we must acknowledge that our friends in the voluntary sector must continue to reach targets with fewer and fewer resources. We all know the pressures they are under.
Compare the infrastructure for this National HIV Testing Week with what was available when Labour last left office. At that time, the Department of Health and Social Care was making available £4 million for HIV prevention in our communities. Today, the Terrence Higgins Trust and its 30 local partners run everything we see for National HIV Testing Week with just £1.1 million a year. That follows a period in which we have had a cost of living crisis and double-digit inflation. Those are impressive efforts, but they are, ultimately, not sustainable over the longer term.
It is welcome that the Department of Health and Social Care website states that the programme will be commissioned for a further two-year period, but the budget is tight, the pressures are there and we need more than two years. I understand that that is the situation that my hon. Friend the Minister has inherited, but as we get nearer and nearer to 2030, this programme cannot stop. It needs to be ramped up if we are to reach the epic goal and leave no one behind.
I am extremely optimistic about what we can achieve. I know that the Government are committed to achieving more, and I know that my hon. Friend is absolutely dedicated to that. I always like to leave things with a request to the Minister—I know they are all thrilled when I do that—so I urge my hon. Friend to look at what can be done to provide more resources and finances to ensure we hit that vital 2030 target.