Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the potential benefits of trialling HPV vaccinations for men who have sex with men in a small number of GUM clinics as part of a wider cost-effectiveness evaluation.

It is the role of the independent expert body, the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI), to provide advice on vaccination programmes following consideration of evidence, including on the cost effectiveness of immunisation strategies.

In June 2015 the JCVI human papillomavirus (HPV) subcommittee met to consider a revised impact and cost effectiveness assessment by Public Health England on a targeted HPV vaccination programme for men who have sex with men (MSM). This revised consideration took into account comments from an independent peer review and a stakeholder consultation. The results of a small pilot study (unpublished) that was conducted in North West London on the feasibility and acceptability of a vaccination programme for MSM were also used to inform the revised assessment.

The JCVI is due to consider the results of the HPV Subcommittee meeting at its October 2015 meeting, when it is anticipated that the Committee will be in a position to finalise its advice to the Department on an HPV vaccination programme for MSM.