Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent progress has been made on the Public Health England Action Plan.

Public Health England (PHE) monitors and publishes key national and local indicators for HIV relating to ‘The Health promotion for sexual and reproductive health and HIV: strategic action plan, 2016-2019’ and PHE’s Action Plan for Promoting the health and wellbeing of gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men.

As part of these plans PHE has commissioned a National HIV Prevention Programme aimed at men who have sex with men and black African communities.

In 2017, PHE published nationally collected data on testing in community settings to provide local areas with a more comprehensive picture.

PHE supports the sharing of good practice across the country through our network of Centres, including approaches to increase testing outside sexual health clinics.

In collaboration with local authorities, PHE commissioned the National HIV Self-Sampling Service. In addition, PHE commissioned HIV prevention projects by community organisations through the HIV Innovation Fund, and shares the resulting evidence and resources.

PHE has also published findings from an evaluation of condom distribution schemes in England and developed a resource pack to support local commissioners and services to address sexualised drug use among men who have sex with men.