GENDER-NEUTRAL HPV VACCINATION

Early day motion 464, tabled 16 September 2015 by Danny Kinahan (UUP). Signed by 23 members.

That this House believes that the public health case for including adolescent boys, as well as girls, in the national HPV vaccination programme is now irrefutable because it is the only certain way of protecting both sexes against a range of cancers, genital warts and recurrent respiratory papillomatosis; considers that the current girls-only programme is inequitable and unfair as it leaves many males at risk and females to carry the burden of responsibility for vaccination; notes that gender-neutral vaccination has very wide support, including from the 40 member organisations of HPV Action, the BMA, Jo's Cervical Cancer Trust and the wide range of individual clinicians, scientists and other experts who recently signed an HPV Action statement calling for gender-neutral vaccination; further believes that the current timescale for a decision in 2017 on vaccinating both sexes is far too long; and calls on the Government to introduce HPV vaccination for both sexes as soon as possible.

Signatures by party: DUP 7, Labour 7, Social Democratic and Labour Party 3, Conservative 2, UUP 2, Green 1, Independent 1.