HIV Commission

Opened the debate

Steve Brine, the former Public Health Minister, acknowledged the significance of World AIDS Day and the launch of the HIV Commission's final report. He highlighted the importance of ending new cases of HIV by 2030, noting that this goal was proposed during his tenure as a minister and received strong support from his colleagues. Brine emphasised the historical context of the HIV/AIDS crisis in the UK, referencing the early public health campaigns like 'Don’t Die of Ignorance'. He praised the work of HIV activists and thanked those involved in producing the commission's report, including Dame Inga Beale, Wes Streeting, Ian Green, Deborah Gold, Anne Aslett, Sir Elton John, Stephen Doughty, and Mike Freer. Brine discussed the importance of testing, treatment, prevention methods like PrEP, and community engagement. He outlined specific recommendations from the HIV Commission, such as a 20-point action plan to achieve an 80% reduction in new instances by 2025 and annual reporting on progress towards the 2030 goal.

Government Response

The Minister for Health, Matthew Hancock, thanked Steve Brine for his work on HIV and acknowledged the progress made since the early days of the HIV/AIDS crisis. He noted that despite significant achievements, including meeting UNAIDS 90-90-90 targets, there is still more to do. Hancock committed to using the report from the HIV Commission as the basis for an upcoming HIV action plan, which he aims to publish next year with a focus on delivering high-quality work and ensuring it sets a credible path towards zero new transmissions by 2030. He emphasised the importance of cross-party support, global cooperation, and continuing efforts during the current pandemic to prevent one virus from undoing progress made against another.