Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what information his Department holds on when all women in (a) Mid Sussex and (b) West Sussex attending for their cervical screen will be tested for HPV as a triage and test-of-cure; [156166]

(2) when he envisages that women in (a) Mid Sussex and (b) West Sussex will benefit from HPV testing as a primary screen. [156167]

Anna Soubry, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Public Health: NHS Cancer Screening Programmes gave approval for human papilloma virus (HPV) testing to begin across Sussex and East Surrey (which covers Mid and West Sussex) in early July 2012, and testing commenced on 25 July 2012. In year one of implementation, HPV testing for triage was done on the first occurrence of low grade abnormalities in eligible women routinely invited for screening (women aged 25 to 64), along with HPV test-of-cure for newly treated women with normal or low grade abnormalities six months after treatment. In year two, from July 2013, HPV testing as triage will be extended to all women with low grade abnormalities, and HPV test-of-cure extended to all women treated for abnormalities who have normal or low grade abnormalities six months after treatment.

The pilot of HPV testing as primary screening began in May 2013 at two of the six pilot sites. None of the six pilot sites covers the Mid and West Sussex areas. The pilot will be formally evaluated and, based on the results of the evaluation, HPV testing as primary screening will be rolled out across England. Timetables for this roll-out will be determined once we have the results of the evaluation.

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