Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the increase in incidents of (1) gonorrhoea, from 58 diagnoses per 100,000 people in 2013 to 146 diagnoses in 2023, and (2) syphilis, from 6.4 diagnoses per 100,000 people in 2013 to 15.4 diagnoses in 2023; and what assessment they have made of the impact of the resulting loss of working days.

Sexually transmitted infection diagnosis data is published annually, as official statistics by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), and is available at the GOV.UK website, in an online only format. There were 82,592 gonorrhoea diagnoses and 8,692 infectious syphilis diagnoses, including primary, secondary, and early latent, reported in sexual health services in England, in 2022. This is compared to 31,177 gonorrhoea diagnoses and 3,345 infectious syphilis diagnoses, primary, secondary, and early latent, in 2013.

Gonorrhoea is increasing in people of all ages, but the rise is highest among young people aged 15 to 24 years old. Infectious syphilis, including primary, secondary, and early latent, is increasing among gay, bisexual, or other men, who have sex with men and heterosexual people.

Dedicated sexual health services play a key public health role in diagnosis, early treatment and management of STIs and we are providing local authorities with more than £3.5 billion in 2023/24 (increasing to £3.6 billion in 2024/25) through our public health grant to support this activity.

We continue to support the delivery of local services, providing guidance and data through UKHSA and my department. In March 2023 the Department of Health and Social Care in collaboration with UKHSA, published the Integrated Sexual Health Service Specification to support local authorities in comprehensive commissioning of services and provide advice and guidance on managing STIs outbreaks.

UKHSA has also published a Syphilis Action Plan to address the increase in syphilis diagnosis in England, focusing on key interventions such as targeted testing, partner notification and awareness raising.

No assessment has been made of any resulting loss of working days, due to gonorrhoea and syphilis diagnoses.