Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what plans he has to conduct an equality impact assessment of HPV vaccination for boys; and whether any such assessment will take place before or after a recommendation from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation.

The Secretary of State for Health is under the public sector equality duty (PSED) including in relation to policies such as new vaccination programmes. Complying with the PSED requires that there is consideration of equality issues during the decision making process and implementation. The consideration of such equality issues will take place as part of the policy making process concerning human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination for boys.