§ Mr. Hancockasked the Secretary of State for Social Services who are the members of the interdepartmental committee on acquired immune deficiency syndrome; when the committee last met; and what are its terms of reference.
§ Mr. HayhoeThe ministerial steering group on AIDS and the interdepartmental group on AIDS comprise 1979 representatives from the following Departments: Health and Social Security, Home Office, Employment, Education and Science, Environment, Defence, Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Cabinet Office, Treasury, Trade and Industry, and the Welsh, Northern Ireland, and Scottish Offices.
The ministerial steering group met on 2 December 1985 and the first meeting of the interdepartmental group will be held on 21 January. The interdepartmental group's terms of reference are
to advise the Ministerial Steering Group on AIDS on the development of a co-ordinated strategy towards the wider issues arising out of the infection with the HTLVIII virus, and on any measures needed to implement that strategy".
§ Mr. Hancockasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he intends to publish guidelines to those people in the National Health Service who are likely to come into contact with individuals who are HTLVIII positive.
§ Mr. HayhoeThe Advisory Committee on Dangerous 1981Pathogens has already issued interim guidelines on AIDS 557W for clinical and laboratory staff. ACDP is revising the guidelines to take account of current scientific knowledge and these should be published in the early part of this year.