Written questions by Dean.

What assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of the prior consultation on the Down Syndrome Act 2022; and when he plans to publish the statutory guidance.

The Down Syndrome Act 2022 started as a Private Members Bill, introduced into the House of Commons in summer 2021. As such, this specific assessment has not been made.A national call for evidence was launched on 19 July 2022 to inform the development of the statutory guidance required under the Down Syndrome Act. The call for evidence remained open for 16 weeks and received over 1,500 responses, including responses from people with Down syndrome, their families and carers, professionals, organisations, and stakeholder groups representing people with genetic conditions.Officials are taking forward, as a priority, development of the Down Syndrome guidance. We expect to publish the draft guidance for public consultation as soon as possible in the new year.

What estimate his Department has made of the number of people with diagnosed HIV who are not currently in care; what research it has conducted into the reasons for disengagement from care; and what funding is available to support programmes aimed at re-engaging such people with HIV services.

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has estimated that the number of people with diagnosed HIV who are not currently in care, which is defined as not attending care for at least 15 months, in 2023 was 4,960. This represents 5.3% of people diagnosed with HIV.A retention and re-engagement in HIV care task and finish group was established in 2023, that considered the available research and evidence. This included the UKHSA Positive Voices survey, which presents key indicators for HIV stigma, which are closely linked to retention and disengagement from care. This work is being considered as part of the development of the new HIV Action Plan, which we plan to publish in summer 2025.As part of the HIV Action Plan, NHS England invested £20 million for the roll out of the Blood Borne Viruses opt-out Emergency Department testing programme in extremely high HIV prevalence areas, which helped identify and re-engage more than 1,300 individuals with HIV services during its first 28 months. A further investment of £20 million was provided by the Department to evaluate the expansion of the programme to 46 high prevalence emergency departments in England.On 28 November 2024 the Prime Minister announced further funding of £27 million for the extension of the HIV Opt-Out Testing Programme in 2025/26. 10% of this funding and of the second £20 million is assigned to peer support, delivered by the voluntary and community sector, and is aimed at linking and retaining people in care.

What proportion of facilities staff are on Agenda For Change contracts.

Facilities staff in the National Health Service may be employed both directly by NHS bodies but also by separate companies who are contracted to deliver services. The Department does not hold information on the number of staff who are employed by companies contracted from outside the NHS to provide services.Information is held on staff directly employed by NHS trusts and other core organisations in England. From this we can see that as of August 2024, there were 66,597 full time equivalent staff providing hotel, property, and estates functions in NHS trusts and other core organisations. Of these, 4,770, or 7.2%, where not on Agenda For Change pay bands. This staff group will include people employed in roles such as housekeepers, cleaners, porters, catering staff, maintenance roles, and other estates works.

Whether his Department plans to continue funding for the opt-out blood-borne virus testing programme at (a) St George's, Epsom and (b) St Helier Hospitals and Health Group beyond March 2025.

On 28 November 2024, the Prime Minister announced a further £27 million of funding for the continuation of the HIV Emergency Department opt-out testing programme for 2025/26. As part of the extension, more than 90 sites will be offered funding to continue or begin the roll out of HIV opt out testing until March 2026, including St George's, Epsom, and St Helier hospitals.NHS England will evaluate the costs and feasibility of further extending this programme regarding hepatitis B and C opt-out testing, once budgets for 2025/26 are confirmed, and expects to provide an update on their decision in the early new year.There are currently no plans to extend opt-out HIV testing beyond emergency departments. However, the Department, together with the UK Health and Security Agency, and NHS England are working together in the development of a new HIV Action Plan, which will include a focus on scaling up HIV testing, and which we aim to publish in summer 2025.