Cervical Cancer: Vaccination

Laura Moffatt
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent representations she has received on (a) cervical cancer and (b) the new vaccine for human papilloma virus.

Ms Rosie Winterton
In the last year the Department has received 25 pieces of correspondence concerning cervical cancer, the majority of which concerned either cervical screening or the human papilloma virus (HPV) vaccine, 35 parliamentary questions concerning cervical cancer and/or HPV and there has been one Early Day Motion concerning cervical cancer and HPV.

Where appropriate these have been passed to the Advisory Committee on Cervical Screening (ACCS) or the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) HPV vaccine sub-committee for consideration.

The ACCS was formed to advise Ministers and the Department on the national health service cervical screening programme, to monitor the effectiveness of this screening programme and to advise on research concerned with its provision.

The JCVI is an independent expert advisory committee first set up to advise the Secretaries of State for Health, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland on matters relating to communicable diseases, preventable and potentially preventable through immunisation.