HIV SELF-TESTING

That this House notes that around one in four people living with HIV in the UK is undiagnosed, making them unable to benefit from treatment and statistically far more likely to pass on the virus; believes that increasing testing options would help to reduce undiagnosed HIV; further notes that early diagnosis of HIV saves the NHS money; welcomes the Food and Drug Administration's approval in July 2012 of the first HIV self-testing kit in the US; recognises that people in the UK are already buying illegal self-testing kits over the Internet from overseas, which are often of poor quality and lack important advice and information on pre- and post-test support; further recognises evidence from research by the Terrence Higgins Trust of demand for HIV self-testing kits amongst people at risk of HIV; and calls on the Secretary of State for Health to legalise HIV self-testing kits so that they can be properly regulated and those people who want to test themselves can do so safely with full and proper advice and information.