Risking it?

Sun, sea and sex; something of a cliché in the worlds of advertising and headline-writing.

Andrew Lansley

Yet a survey published today found that of 10,000 young British men and women questioned, more than half said they wouldn't use a condom if they had sex with a new partner on holiday.

It seems the safe sex messages of the 1980s have been forgotten. The number of sexually transmitted infections is soaring. Almost three quarters of a million cases were reported last year, an all-time record.

The Government has already promised a white paper in the autumn setting out how ministers propose to deal with this growing epidemic. But this week they will be pre-empted by the Conservative party, which is drawing up its own plan.

The Tories were in power the last time there was big campaign to promote safe sex after the emergence of HIV. If you're over 30 you'll vividly remember those icebergs and tombstones bearing the chilling legend "Don't die of ignorance".

On Tuesday in Manchester the Conservative Shadow Health Secretary Andrew Lansley will reveal how a future Tory Government would renew the fight against sexually transmitted diseases.

Given that no government can legislate for what happens in people's bedrooms, we asked Mr Lansley what sort of initiatives we could expect from his party.