Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to reduce levels of cervical cancer among 25 to 29 year olds.

Since 2008 girls aged 12 and 13 have been offered the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination, to help protect them from the high risk strains of HPV which cause more than 70% of all cervical cancers. At the time the programme was rolled out a catch-up programme targeted females aged from 14 to less than 18 years. The oldest of these women are now 27 years old. England has one of the highest rates of HPV vaccine coverage in the world; 83% of eligible girls in the 2016-17 academic year completed the two-dose course, and 87% received one dose. The full impact of the HPV vaccination programme on cervical cancer is yet to be fully realised as vaccinated girls only started to enter the cervical screening programme in England in 2015.

Public Health England is working with a range of stakeholders, including local authorities, NHS England and charities to improve uptake of cervical screening.