Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of progress on the target of no new HIV infections by 2030.

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) undertakes the monitoring of progress against the UNAIDS targets and publishes these as part of the HIV Action Plan monitoring and evaluation framework.

The UKHSA use the number of new HIV diagnoses first made in England as a proxy for HIV transmissions. The number of new HIV diagnoses first made in England fell from 2,986 in 2019 to 2,023 in 2021. However, this fall was not equal between demographic groups and occurred in the context of reduced HIV testing and increased proportion of late diagnoses.

To achieve the UNAIDS target, several areas need to be prioritised including HIV testing numbers exceeding levels seen in 2019, ensuring patients not retained in care are re-integrated and supported, and monitoring inequalities in HIV prevention and care to inform accessible and culturally-competent interventions.