House of Lords to Investigate HIV
posted: 21/12/2010
The House of Lords today set up a new Committee on HIV and AIDS, chaired by Lord Fowler. Lord Fowler was the Secretary of State for Social Services with responsibility for public health, at the start of the HIV epidemic. He was a key figure in the first national public HIV awareness campaign.
Investigating and reviewing HIV in the UK
The new House of Lords Committee will look in detail at HIV in the UK. They will ‘call for evidence’ in the New Year, inviting written evidence from everyone. They will then hold public evidence sessions, before producing a report next summer.
Prevention, Testing, Treatment, Discrimination
The committee is interested especially in reviewing prevention, testing, treatment and discrimination.
After the creation of the Committee Lord Fowler, said
"The Committee's report will appear almost exactly a quarter of a century since the 'Don't Die of Ignorance' campaign in 1986. This is a good time to review the success of prevention and treatment policies. In the last 25 years, various efforts have been made to check the spread of the infection. Nevertheless today the number of people living with HIV is nearing 100,000. The committee will examine whether public education has been effective and how it might be improved; and also the importance of early diagnosis. Currently about 27 per cent of those with HIV do not know that they are infected. The committee will examine what improvements can be made in testing and consider evidence of discrimination. A call for evidence will be issued in the New Year."
The Committee will have a webpage within the House of Lords Committee section of the Parliamentary website. The HIV Select Committee webpage is here
HIV Committee membership:
- Lord Fowler (Chairman)
- Baroness McIntosh of Hudnall
- Lord Gardiner of Kimble
- Baroness Masham of Ilton
- Baroness Gould of Potternewton
- Lord May of Oxford
- Baroness Healy of Primrose Hill
- Lord Rea
- Baroness Hussein-Ece
- Baroness Ritchie of Brompton
- Lord McColl of Dulwich
- Baroness Tonge
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