§ Mr. Gwilym JonesTo ask the Secretary of State for Wales what are his plans for the public library service in Wales in the light of the response to the Green Paper on the library service; and if he will make a statement.
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§ Mr. John Patten[holding answer 6 February 1989]: At present we do not see a balance of argument in favour of compulsory HIV testing for prostitutes, or others convicted of soliciting offences. Available tests cannot be relied upon to detect infection acquired less than three months before the test. In any case a person who is free from infection when tested may become infected soon thereafter. Identifying a number of infected individuals would be likely to have no more than a marginal effect on the general risk of infection through intercourse with prostitutes.