Questions to the Chancellor of the Exchequer     (30/03/2006)

Dr. Evan Harris (Oxford, West and Abingdon) (LD): What estimate he has made of the level of funding the UK would need to contribute to achieve universal access to HIV/AIDS treatment in developing countries.

The Chancellor of the Exchequer (Mr. Gordon Brown): Forty million people around the world have HIV and 4.9 million people were infected last year. The total funding gap is therefore £16 billion. The United Kingdom is committed to spend £1.5 billion from 2005 to 2008. We are the second largest donor in HIV/AIDS, and we are supporting programmes that cut the price of antiretroviral drugs. On that and other issues, I am today publishing the seventh annual report of our Government on the International Monetary Fund.

Dr. Harris: I welcome that answer and pay my tribute, which is shared in many quarters, to the Chancellor's leadership on this issue internationally. Will he accept, however, that unless we ensure that not just our contribution but everyone's—encouraged by his leadership—is met, the danger is that, because there is a target, funding and infrastructure will be taken from other health priorities in the countries concerned to meet that target? I hope that he will agree that that is an issue.

Mr. Brown: I am grateful to the hon. Gentleman, who has taken an interest in these issues over time. The sad fact is that the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, which was to be a fund of $20 billion, is financed only to the tune of about $2.7 billion. We will have to do better in future years if we are to make the 2010 target. I believe that the only way in which we can do that is to find new forms of innovative financing, such as we have found for vaccinations, and such as we can find for other drugs. It is important that we get a consensus in this country to promote an international finance facility for those issues, so that we can then win support around the world.

Questions to the Secretary of State for International Development     (01/03/2006)

Zimbabwe

Sir Nicholas Winterton (Macclesfield) (Con): If he will make a statement on the humanitarian situation in Zimbabwe.

The Secretary of State for International Development (Hilary Benn): Zimbabwe is a country in crisis. More than one fifth of all adults are HIV-positive, 3,000 people die of AIDS every week and 1.3 million children have been orphaned. Three million to 5 million Zimbabweans face food shortages in the "hungry" months leading up to the harvest. To make matters worse, in 2005, the Zimbabwean Government destroyed the homes and livelihoods of an estimated 700,000 people in "Operation Clean-Up". DFID will spend £38 million in 2005-06 to tackle shortage of food, help to deal with HIV/AIDS and provide support for orphans and vulnerable children.

Ms Sally Keeble (Northampton, North) (Lab): As my right hon. Friend knows, a great deal of the money that we give to Kenya goes in through organisations such as the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. I am worried about the disbursement of the fund's money to support HIV/AIDS orphans in Kenya. What is my right hon. Friend doing, in addition to arranging our own bilateral aid, to ensure that those multilateral organisations also deal with the problems of governance, and that they arrange for effective disbursement so that the money gets through to the people who need it?

Hilary Benn: We work very hard with the Global Fund to ensure that the money and the increasing support that the Government have put in are used to good effect. Kenya is one of the countries where there have been difficulties in making the money work. Therefore, we have been supporting a programme with the Global Fund and UNAIDS to find out what the obstacles are and to ensure that that resource—that money—is delivered to change people's lives.

While we are talking about Kenya, an immediate concern is the drought, because that will affect a lot of people, including those who have been orphaned, not least because in many cases they have lost means of support. I can tell the House today that I have decided to allocate a further £15 million in response to the latest assessment of the drought in Kenya, because there is an urgent need to get more help to people who are at risk of not having enough to eat, and therefore of dying.

Questions to the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Health     (31/01/2006)

HIV/AIDS

Mr. Nigel Evans (Ribble Valley) (Con): How many cases of HIV/AIDS there were in England and Wales in the latest period for which figures are available.

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Health (Caroline Flint): There were 5,171 new diagnoses of HIV in England and Wales for 2005 reported by the end of December 2005.

Mr. Evans: Those are disturbing figures. In 1987, as the Minister will know, there were 2,500 cases; now, she has given a figure of 5,500, and it will probably be nearer to 7,000 by the time the statistics come in. Almost 500 people died of AIDS last year. The Secretary of State said that she believes in action, so let us have some action. When are we going to see the advertising campaign that was promised last year? Will the Minister guarantee that we will focus on ensuring that young people learn about how HIV is transmitted and how they can protect themselves against it?

Caroline Flint: One of the reasons the results are as I explained is that we have better reporting mechanisms for HIV. Having said that, we should not be complacent about the figures. We fund organisations such as the Terrence Higgins Trust to target, in particular, the gay community and the African community, where the prevalence of HIV is due partly to HIV acquired overseas. That is why the work that we do through the Department for International Development is so important. I am delighted that last week it was announced that sexual health is now one of six service priorities for the NHS, with a 48-hour target for access to genito-urinary medicine clinics. That goes alongside the £300 million of investment that we have put into this area. There is an important need to deliver, based on the White Paper—

Mr. Speaker: Order.

Dr. Brian Iddon (Bolton, South-East) (Lab): When we arrest people and test them for drugs through the judicial process, why do we not at the same time offer them tests for blood-borne diseases—not only HIV, but hepatitis C and B?

Caroline Flint: My hon. Friend raises an interesting point. I am happy to discuss those issues with my colleagues in the Home Office. In relation to prison health, the changed arrangements mean that the services provided to those in custody as regards transmitted infections and drug use should improve over the next few years.

Anne Main (St. Albans) (Con): In my constituency and across Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire, HIV and the diagnosis of AIDS has gone up by 1,500 per cent., yet there is now only one county sexual health promotion adviser, and his job is on the line. Our GUM clinic has had cuts. How can the Government say that sexual health is a priority when we are seeing massive increases in HIV and AIDS among the heterosexual population and massive cuts in GUM clinics and sexual health promotion?

Caroline Flint: I did not hear the period to which the hon. Lady was referring in relation to the increases that she mentioned. Part of our task is to facilitate the ability of people who may have acquired a sexually-transmitted infection, and within that, HIV, to come forward. That is partly why we introduced testing among pregnant women. Some 92 per cent. of HIV-infected women are diagnosed before delivery. In the past year, take-up of voluntary confidential testing has gone up from 54 per cent. to 75 per cent. We have to do more. However, I welcome the importance given to this within the NHS priorities. We must, on the basis of the White Paper, consider how better we can deliver sexual health services. Part of my job is to see how we can redesign services that are fit for purpose in dealing with this important area.

Dr. Phyllis Starkey (Milton Keynes, South-West) (Lab): The Minister will be aware that individuals who are already suffering from another sexually transmitted disease are more susceptible to HIV infection if they are exposed to the virus. How soon does she think that all primary care trusts will be able to deliver the target of people having access to a GUM clinic within 48 hours?

Caroline Flint: The target is set for 2008 and we are heading for that. I am pleased to say that some primary care trusts are already making huge progress. Part of our job in the next couple of years is to identify best practice to ensure that it can be spread more quickly.

It is important that those issues are addressed for many reasons. For example, we shall roll out a national screening programme for chlamydia, and that is especially important not only in tackling a sexually transmitted infection but in halting the number of women who find that they have infertility problems 10 years down the road.

Lynne Featherstone (Hornsey and Wood Green) (LD): Does the Under-Secretary know that the new charging system that was introduced in 2004 deters the prescribing of antiretroviral drugs for HIV-positive pregnant women, especially those who come to the United Kingdom without documentation, or have been refused asylum or leave to remain? What will she do about it?

Caroline Flint: It is important to recognise that the National Health Service is for those who are eligible for it. It would send the wrong message if we said that people who were not entitled to that service should take advantage of it. Having said that, there are several categories, including asylum seekers, for whom access to HIV treatment and services is and will continue to be available. The problems do not apply only to HIV treatment but to other matters, which we must tackle sensitively but appropriately given NHS resources.

Questions to the Chancellor of the Exchequer     (26/01/2006)

G8 Ministerial Meeting

Mr. Tobias Ellwood (Bournemouth, East) (Con): If he will make a statement on his proposed post-Gleneagles agenda to be presented at the meeting of G8 Ministers next month in Moscow; and what discussions he has had with G8 partners on this.

Judy Mallaber (Amber Valley) (Lab): If he will make a statement on his priorities for progress towards relieving international poverty and debt relief at the forthcoming international Finance Ministers meeting.

The Chancellor of the Exchequer (Mr. Gordon Brown): Our priorities for the G8 are to extend debt relief to further numbers of the poorest countries; to ensure that aid promises that have been made are delivered in free universal education and universal health care; to set up a $20 billion fund for the environment in the poorest countries; to build on the innovative $4 billion international finance facility with new advanced market mechanisms for the purchase of life-saving drugs; and the advance of the launch tomorrow of the global plan to stop tuberculosis, which even now kills 2 million people a year. The Secretary of State for International Development will announce this morning £41.7 million from Britain for anti-TB drugs for India.

Mr. Ellwood: The Chancellor mentioned poorer countries. I think that the House will welcome many of the initiatives that resulted from the Gleneagles summit, but at the next summit in Moscow will the Chancellor take the opportunity to speak to his French and German counterparts and establish whether we can review the common agricultural policy? It is hurting those poorer countries, and hurting farmers in particular.

Mr. Brown: The answer is yes. The hon. Gentleman may know that only a few weeks ago the Treasury, together with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, published our proposals for the reform of agriculture policy, to be implemented over the next 10 years. We will submit them to the review of agriculture policy that is taking place. I have already expressed my belief that a trade deal in the world will require movement from America and Europe on agriculture policy. I hope that there is unanimous support for the proposals in the House.

Judy Mallaber: Pupils from 21 Amber Valley schools filled Christmas boxes for children in Mozambique who were affected by HIV/AIDS and poverty. I have also engaged in talks in many schools about the 100 million children who are not being given an education. How can my right hon. Friend convince my young constituents that Finance Ministers talking about debt relief will have a concrete effect in meeting our millennium goals, getting children into school and tackling the AIDS epidemic in Africa?

Mr. Brown: I visited Mozambique, and I think that the children in my hon. Friend's local schools should be congratulated on what they have done. Only 6,000 people in Mozambique are being helped with retroviral drugs for HIV/AIDS, when 600,000 are suffering from the disease. Until we can provide more money, either through the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria or through other measures, many people will not be able to obtain the treatment that they need.

Debt relief does help, however. I believe that £6 billion of Mozambique's debt has been written off as a result of the decisions that we made last year. Mozambique is one of the biggest beneficiaries from the £170 billion of debt that is to be written off as a result of the cumulative effect of all the decisions—and so it should be, because it is an economy that is trying to grow. It is removing corruption, taking action to improve the functioning of its economic policy, and deliberately putting more money into education and health. When I am in Davos tomorrow, I will meet the President of Mozambique, and will be able to tell him that we shall do more in the next few years to support the global fund.

Sir Nicholas Winterton (Macclesfield) (Con): Two days ago, I had the honour of meeting the recently appointed Bangladesh high commissioner here in London. He is immensely grateful for the aid and assistance that this country gives his country, which is one of the poorest in the world, but he was very disappointed by the outcome of the meeting in Hong Kong, and particularly by the lack of progress in the introduction of genuine fair trade by Europe. What can the Chancellor do to persuade Europe, and all the countries of Europe, to support a policy of genuine free trade so that countries such as Bangladesh can trade their way out of poverty?

Mr. Brown: I know that the hon. Gentleman has taken an interest in such issues, especially those associated with countries that have been part of the British Commonwealth or the British empire in the past. I think that the proposals from India and Brazil to break the deadlock in the trade negotiations should be taken seriously. I believe that a further meeting of major players will take place in Davos this week. I hope that we shall see further progress over the next few weeks, because the longer it takes us to reach a trade settlement the more not just our country and others that are part of the advanced industrial economies, but—most of all—the poorest countries in the world, particularly those in Africa and Asia, will lose out. I hope that during the next few weeks we shall see a further attempt to restore the momentum.

Mr. John McFall (West Dunbartonshire) (Lab/Co-op): The Treasury Committee's report on the 2005 pre-Budget report, published this week, welcomed the doubling of aid to Africa, as well as the 100 per cent. multilateral debt write-off for the 38 highly indebted poor countries, but the documents issued at Gleneagles contained 212 separate commitments. Given that the G8 has no independent secretariat, will the Chancellor ensure that there are adequate mechanisms to monitor the commitments, so that we can deliver to those poor countries on the ground?

Mr. Brown: I am grateful to my right hon. Friend, who has taken a big interest in those matters over the years and has visited Africa on many occasions. The G8 Finance Ministers are meeting in Moscow in the middle of February, and I have asked that it be put on the agenda how we follow through the commitments made at Gleneagles. We will discuss education, debt relief, the health programmes and the follow-through from the commitments made on aid. I can assure him that we will do so.

I know that many people involved in the G8 summit, and some of the celebrities in particular, are following this through. Today, Bono is making proposals for enhancing the global fund, and I shall be meeting him tomorrow to discuss them. I know that another member of the Gleneagles delegation, Bob Geldof, is now on missionary work in relation to the Conservative party.

Questions to the Prime Minister     (11/01/2006)

Mr. David Cameron (Witney) (Con): May I start by welcoming the new acting leader of the Lib Dems? That is something that the Prime Minister failed to do, and I hope that it is not becoming habit-forming. Whether interim or otherwise, those of us who have recently taken part in such contests look forward to watching this one. This year, more than 2 million people are likely to die from AIDS, most of them in Africa. The international community is now rightly committed to ensuring that all HIV/AIDS sufferers have access to treatment by 2010, but will the Prime Minister consider setting interim goals between now and 2010 to make sure that that vital target is hit?

The Prime Minister: I should, of course, have welcomed the right hon. and learned Member for North-East Fife (Sir Menzies Campbell). I shall give him an even bigger welcome if his position becomes permanent, not temporary. [Hon. Members: "Ooh!"] It would probably be easier if I rejected him entirely. Well, I am happy to do that.

In respect of the AIDS programme, the reason why we have set the target as close as possible—there must necessarily be some discretion—to full coverage by 2010 is that that is the best we believe we can do, building up the programme over the next few years. We are about to increase it massively. The global health fund has just agreed $4 billion for the killer diseases and we want to build up the programme as quickly as possible. It is difficult for me to set targets year by year—[Hon. Members: "What?"]—on behalf of other countries, but in respect of our own programme we are trebling aid to Africa over the next few years. The number of people with HIV/AIDS whom we are helping with antiretroviral drugs and by other means is increasing the entire time, so the UK has an awful lot to be proud of in what it is doing in relation to HIV/AIDS. I shall consider what the hon. Gentleman suggests, but it is difficult for me to take responsibility for what other countries will contribute, particularly to the global health fund.

Mr. Cameron: I am grateful for the answer, but I think the Prime Minister could play a role. The Department for International Development is co-chairing the UN committee that is reviewing the targets. The Prime Minister will know that the last target to help people with HIV/AIDS was catastrophically missed. The target was for 3 million people to have access to antiretroviral drugs by 2005, yet in the event only a million will have received those drugs. Will he look again at the case for setting interim targets, which would make it more likely that the 2010 target will be hit, as we all want to happen?

The Prime Minister: As I say, I am happy to consider that, but for the reasons that I have given, it is difficult for us to start setting precise targets for measures that will include other countries. Let me come back to what the hon. Gentleman said—can we not do more on HIV/AIDS? This country has led the way on overseas aid and development in the past eight years. I remind him that when we came to office, the development aid budget had been falling. The UK was way behind other countries in our profile on overseas aid and development. Thanks to the work that the Chancellor and successive Secretaries of State for International Development have done, this country now leads the way on debt relief and in relation to aid and the treatment of killer diseases. At the G8 summit at Gleneagles, as the hon. Gentleman knows, we agreed a comprehensive action plan, the first of its kind for Africa. So I can assure him that I need no instruction from him or anyone else. We will carry on doing everything we can in order to promote action on Africa, and I am pleased that at long last the Conservative party is joining us in that.

Questions to the Chancellor of the Exchequer     (08/12/2005)

Julie Morgan (Cardiff, North) (Lab): If he will increase the UK's financial contribution to tackling HIV/AIDS overseas.

The Chancellor of the Exchequer (Mr. Gordon Brown): Our aim is that by 2010 every HIV/AIDS sufferer will receive treatment. Advance market commitments for vaccines to prevent diseases that primarily affect poor countries were discussed at the G7 meeting of Finance Ministers at the weekend. We agreed a pilot scheme to be developed, which will support research and development and the delivery of vaccines that in the long term may help us in the search for a preventive vaccine for HIV/AIDS. I hope that there will again be all-party support for those initiatives.

Julie Morgan: I congratulate my right hon. Friend and the Government on all the efforts that they have made in this matter. What can my right hon. Friend do to ensure that the aid that is given for HIV/AIDS is spent as intended? On a recent visit to Kenya, I was told by the Ministry for Health, health professionals and non-governmental organisations that the rules of the International Monetary Fund made it extremely difficult for them to increase their public spending on nurses, doctors and other health officials. What can my right hon. Friend do to influence the situation and create the right balance between economic stability and public spending on health in countries such as Kenya?

Mr. Brown: As my hon. Friend may know, the British Government and other European countries in particular are signing agreements with a number of countries to give long-term support to those Governments so that they can make allocations to health and education, not just on an annual basis, but on a sustainable basis. We believe that that is the best way of ensuring that money goes to health and education, rather than going to corrupt projects or being wasted. As regards the short term, I will take up my hon. Friend's question about Kenya with my hon. Friend the Minister for overseas development and write to her on the matter.

Mr. Jeremy Hunt (South-West Surrey) (Con): Does the Chancellor agree that the 2010 access to AIDS treatment target will not have any credibility unless intermediate targets and milestones are set by which we can measure whether progress is being made towards the achievement of such an important target?

Mr. Brown: I accept that when a long-term target is set, the real questions are whether there will be the money to deliver that target, and whether there will be proper development of policy to achieve it, so I agree with the hon. Gentleman that we must put in place both the necessary resources and the policy measures to achieve the target. There have been great advances in antiretroviral drugs and treatments, and great advances also in charitable and other medical projects that are helping AIDS sufferers in various parts of Africa—I visited some of those projects in the course of a visit to Africa—but in the end it will require an agreement about the funding that we can provide, as well as the policy measures to implement it. I am glad that there is all-party agreement on that.

Questions to the Secretary of State for International Development     (07/12/2005)

International AIDS Day 

Ian Lucas (Wrexham) (Lab): If he will make a statement on the Government's plans to mark international AIDS Day.

The Secretary of State for International Development (Hilary Benn): On world AIDS day the UK highlighted the importance of more and better funding for the fight against AIDS, and of working towards universal access to AIDS treatment by 2010. As EU President, the UK hosted a meeting that launched an EU statement on HIV prevention for an AIDS-free generation. The Government also published a briefing paper on "Harm reduction—tackling drug use and HIV in the developing world".

Ian Lucas: May I raise a particular issue affecting young children in the developing world who suffer from AIDS? At present, drug companies do not manufacture dedicated drugs for young children and as a result there is some over and under-prescribing of drugs. Will my right hon. Friend use his good offices to raise the matter with drug companies so that young children suffering from that terrible disease receive the appropriate treatment?

Hilary Benn: I have seen the report from Médecins sans Frontières to which my hon. Friend draws attention. I share his concern and happily undertake to take up the issue, because it is important that we use all the means at our disposal to fight that terrible disease, which presents a real threat to the future development of Africa.

Mr. Jeffrey M. Donaldson (Lagan Valley) (DUP): Could the Secretary of State tell us about co-operation between his Department and non-governmental organisations such as Tearfund and Christian Aid in tackling the AIDS problem in the continent of Africa?

Hilary Benn: We work with a wide range of voluntary and community organisations in the development field and I pay tribute to them for the work they undertake in helping communities to overcome stigma and, in particular, in providing support to orphans and vulnerable children. In the developing world, 13 million children have lost one or both of their parents to AIDS. The work done in local communities makes the biggest difference; if the disease is to be beaten, treatment is hugely important for those who are already HIV-positive. The only way to achieve an AIDS-free generation is if people do not acquire the HIV virus in the first place. That is why being open and honest about the virus—how people catch it and how they can protect themselves and fight it—is fundamental to winning the battle. The work of the organisations to which the hon. Gentleman referred is hugely important in supporting communities to have the confidence to be open and honest about how to defeat the disease, and I applaud them for the work they are doing.

Joan Ruddock (Lewisham, Deptford) (Lab): May I draw my right hon. Friend's attention to the Select Committee report on that very subject, published last week? Will he support one of our recommendations and agree that, as in many countries, if people need drugs, they also need the money to pay for them, that will make universal access to treatment impossible? Will he work with UNAIDS and the World Health Organisation to issue an international policy statement on free access to treatment for AIDS at the point of delivery?

Hilary Benn: I agree entirely with my hon. Friend's point about the importance of ensuring that people can gain access to the drugs that will save their lives. It is no good if people cannot afford them because the price is too high. That is why much of the £1.5 billion that we are committing to the fight against AIDS over the next three years—which, as my hon. Friend knows, makes Britain the second-largest donor in the world in the fight against AIDS—is going to support building the capacity of developing countries to improve their health services and make those drugs available to people. That is the only way we shall save people's lives.

Malcolm Bruce (Gordon) (LD): Will the Secretary of State acknowledge that the Committee welcomed the role of his Department in securing the 2010 target but expressed some concern at the need for annual monitoring to ensure that the target is reached? Will he consider incorporating targets on access to HIV/AIDS treatment in the next spending round? Will he report on cross-Whitehall co-operation and explain what review of programmes his Department is undertaking in the light of the AIDS crisis? It affects countries such as Botswana, where his Department has little aid engagement at present, threatening their very survival.

Hilary Benn: On the hon. Gentleman's last point, Botswana is of course a middle-income country whose economy has been growing fast and well. In the end, the Department and I have taken the view that it is important to prioritise our efforts where we think we can make the most difference. There is a lively and real debate about targets as we move towards "all by 10". The first thing we need is for individual countries to set their own targets, because a global target to measure progress as we go may not capture the ability of countries to build up capacity as quickly as we would like. Secondly, the global steering committee is looking at that question and, in particular, at which milestones we should use to measure the progress we make between now and 2010 in achieving access for all. The committee will report in the middle of next year and we shall look carefully at its recommendations.

Chris Ruane (Vale of Clwyd) (Lab): I have recently returned from a Commonwealth Parliamentary Association delegation to Swaziland. While out in Swaziland, we were informed by non-governmental organisations and Government officers that the AIDS rate there could be as high as 43 per cent.—almost one in two of the population and the highest rate in the world. Will my right hon. Friend consider given extra ring-fenced funding to Swaziland to help it combat that AIDS rate?

Hilary Benn: I can tell my hon. Friend that we are, through a regional project, funding work to support the fight against AIDS in Swaziland. The Government there also have a responsibility to ensure that they use their resources effectively to put money into the fight against AIDS, which is affecting the population there to the extent that he describes.

Mark Simmonds (Boston and Skegness) (Con): The AIDS pandemic is causing devastation in developing nations and now not only in Africa. It is crippling economies, devastating key-worker sectors and threatening security and stability. This year alone, it is estimated that 4.9 million people contracted the virus and only 1 million are receiving treatment out of total infected global population of more than 40 million. It is disastrous that the three-by-five initiative appears to have failed and that the G8 aspirations for HIV/AIDS appear to be adrift. What is DFID's strategy to ensure that developing-nation Governments recognise and prioritise prevention and treatment and that the pharmaceutical industry allows the manufacture of cheaper, generic antiretroviral drugs?

Hilary Benn: I share the hon. Gentleman's concern, and the statistics that he describes paint a very depressing picture. However, the three-by-five target has been a good thing because, at the end of June, 500,000 people were on antiretrovirals in sub-Saharan Africa—treble the number of 12 months earlier. Is that progress? Yes, it is. Is it enough? No, it is not. Having a target encourages people to get themselves organised, which is why we fought so hard for the new target.  On prevention, the policy statement that we achieved for the first time in the EU makes the argument that is it only by prevention that we will defeat this disease. Openness and honesty is the key. On access to drugs, the agreement that has been reached to extend the period in which countries have to apply the TRIPS agreement—the least developed countries did not have to do so anyway until 2015-16—gives those countries the opportunity, if they have not got manufacturing capacity, to import from elsewhere, and we have to work with them to enable them to use that new freedom to get the drugs to those who need it.

Mark Lazarowicz (Edinburgh, North and Leith) (Lab/Co-op): My right hon. Friend has just referred to the agreement on the amendment to the TRIPS rules. That agreement is very welcome—I pay tribute to him for his role in bringing it about—but he will also know that the previous agreements have not led to a single case of the rules allowing antiretroviral drugs to be brought to those who need them. Will he take steps to ensure that the new amendment brings affordable HIV/AIDS medicines to those who need them in the poor countries of the world?

Hilary Benn: The reason why the agreement has not yet delivered the benefits that we would like is that legislative changes were needed both in developing countries and in the EU—the EU has now put them in place—but we have been providing technical assistance to help countries to take advantage of that new freedom. We must now step up the international effort, because those poor countries that cannot manufacture those drugs now have the opportunity to import them, and it is important that that freedom is used.

Questions to the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for International Development     (09/11/2005)

Nick Herbert (Arundel and South Downs) (Con): In considering the millennium development goal of eradicating poverty, does the Minister agree that the recent declaration of an emergency in Africa over tuberculosis, which is closely linked with the AIDS epidemic, is of serious concern? It is killing 500,000 people a year. What is his Department doing in response to that emergency, and would he be willing to meet a delegation of parliamentarians, including myself, who recently visited Kenya, where we saw the impact of the disease and where life expectancy for a man is down to 41 years and falling?

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for International Development (Mr. Gareth Thomas): Either my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State or I would be happy to meet the delegation. The hon. Gentleman is right to raise TB. Along with malaria and HIV/AIDS, it is having a devastating impact on Africa and, indeed, many other parts of the world. He will be aware of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. We hosted the replenishment conference for that fund in September and raised £3.7 billion for it. There will be a further funding conference next year, and we hope that further funding will be pledged.

Chris McCafferty (Calder Valley) (Lab): What steps have been taken to improve the working relationship between the UN and international donors in respect of responses to AIDS.

Mr. Thomas: The United Nations Secretary-General, Kofi Annan, chaired the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria replenishment conference in London in September. International donors, including ourselves, pledged $3.7 billion. A further conference will be held next year. At the same time, donors and UN agencies discussed progress of the global task team in improving AIDS co-ordination and we are continuing to play an active part in that team.

Chris McCafferty: Does my hon. Friend agree that it is not only that working relationship that needs to be improved, but that of the sexual and reproductive health stakeholders and HIV/AIDS stakeholders? I hope that the Secretary of State will assure the House that he will engage the UN at the very highest levels to help secure a target for reproductive health within the millennium development goal framework. Will he also report back on progress and the success that he achieves?

Mr. Thomas: My hon. Friend will know that we and the European Union collectively have long thought that there should be a target on reproductive health in respect of the millennium development goals. The outcomes document from the millennium review summit called for universal access to reproductive health by 2015. We are discussing with the UN secretariat and a range of other players in the UN how best to take forward that commitment.

Alistair Burt (North-East Bedfordshire) (Con): May I commend the work of World Vision, with which my hon. Friend the Member for Buckingham (John Bercow) and I travelled to Mozambique in the summer to see its work for children orphaned by AIDS? In the Minister's dealings with the UN and international donors, will he urge them to stress to recipient Governments that commitments to children suffering from or orphaned by AIDS and to the most vulnerable people affected by it should be met, as it is all too easy for those commitments to fall behind in comparison with those of more vocal sufferers?

Mr. Thomas: I join the hon. Gentleman in paying tribute to the work of World Vision, which has been particularly active in campaigning to highlight the needs of orphans and vulnerable children affected by the HIV/AIDS epidemic. He may know that we have committed, with UNICEF, to host its annual global partners forum, which looks at the specific needs of orphans and vulnerable children. This year, we will look at some of the blockages in getting the aid through to the non-governmental organisations working with orphans and vulnerable children at the grass roots. I am sure that he will also be aware that we have committed £150 million over the next three years specifically for assistance to help orphans and vulnerable children affected by AIDS.

Ms Sally Keeble (Northampton, North) (Lab): I am grateful to my hon. Friend for the points that he has made. Will he confirm that, in the meeting with UNICEF, he will look into how aid is provided, particularly at feeding programmes through community-based groups in African countries to support orphans and vulnerable children affected by HIV/AIDS?

Mr. Thomas: I recognise the campaigning work that my hon. Friend has done on this issue. As I told the hon. Member for North-East Bedfordshire (Alistair Burt), we will consider what further action we can take to speed the delivery of aid to grass-roots NGOs of the type that my hon. Friend has worked for and consistently advocated. On my recent visit to Malawi and Zambia, I saw that delivery is speeding up, but more remains to be done. As she says, that will be the focus of our global partners forum meeting with UNICEF in February.

Mark Simmonds (Boston and Skegness) (Con): Effective prevention, education and treatment in respect of HIV/AIDS are essential if we are to progress control of the disease and Opposition Members welcome the aspirations in that regard at the G8 summit and the global fund replenishment summit. Increasingly, however, DFID's budget is being spent through partnerships with Governments, multilateral organisations and institutions, and NGOs—channels that have minimal accountability. Will the Minister say what progress DFID has made since the critical report of November 2003 in monitoring and evaluating the channels through which British taxpayers' money is spent? How will partnership performance be assessed and resources allocated to ensure maximum prevention, and maximum treatment, of HIV/AIDS?

Mr. Thomas: I do not accept the hon. Gentleman's premise that there is minimal accountability for the aid that we dispense through budget support or multilateral organisations. There is a whole process of auditing and assessing how the Government deliver aid and whether our arrangements are appropriate. Where our arrangements in-country are not appropriate, we will not dispense aid through budget support but work through NGOs or UN organisations. I absolutely accept the point about the need to continue to focus on prevention of HIV/AIDS as well as on treatment. Over the past two years, significant attention has rightly been given to the question of how we get more access to antiretroviral drugs. We need to continue that work and to return to the question of how we can ensure that people have more access to the various prevention measures, such as condoms. We must also step up our research into developing a workable vaccine and an effective microbicide. In the run-up to world AIDS day, we are hosting an event for EU Development Ministers to look at that precise issue.

Questions to the Minister for the Middle East     (01/11/2005)

Tony Lloyd (Manchester, Central) (Lab): What representations he has made to the Libyan authorities on the case of the Bulgarian nurses and the Palestinian doctor relating to the infection of children with HIV/AIDS in Benghazi.

The Minister for the Middle East (Dr. Kim Howells): We have repeatedly raised this issue at all levels with Libya. We recognise the terrible tragedy of the children infected with HIV in Benghazi, and sympathise with their families, but we have urged Libya to resolve this to the satisfaction of all parties. We are deeply concerned that the death penalty was imposed on the medical staff and we want to see them released. 

Tony Lloyd: My hon. Friend was right to express his concern and that of the Government—indeed, everyone's concern—about the plight of the hundreds of children who contracted HIV/AIDS in Benghazi. However, he is also right to say that it is grotesque that the medics—five Bulgarian nurses and a Palestinian doctor—face the death penalty. While in prison, they have been the victims of torture and sexual abuse, and the confessions extracted are worth almost nothing in any legal process.  Libya's progress back into the world that we want it to be in is put in jeopardy if the death sentences are confirmed. Before the case comes back to the Libyan Supreme Court, will my hon. Friend ensure that every effort is taken over the next few days to make sure that Colonel Gaddafi and the Libyan authorities understand that the issue is not trivial and will be used to judge what progress Libya makes?

Questions to The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for International Development     (12/10/2005)

Swaziland

Mike Gapes (Ilford, South) (Lab/Co-op): If he will make a statement on support from his Department for projects in Swaziland.

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for International Development (Mr. Gareth Thomas): We are supporting one project in Swaziland that assists with improving water and sanitation services to poor rural communities. In addition, we support two HIV/AIDS regional initiatives that operate in Swaziland. The first is with the Southern African Development Community and the second with Action Aid. Their work focuses on sexually transmitted disease treatment, condom promotion and behaviour change, and includes strengthening the capacity of the Ministry of Health in Swaziland.

Mike Gapes: The situation in Swaziland is desperate. There is a massive drought, the average life expectancy for men is 32, and 43 per cent. of women attending maternity clinics are HIV positive. Three weeks ago, a delegation of Members of Parliament saw the present problems, but the changes to the EU sugar regime could make the problem even worse, because Swaziland is not defined as a less-developed country, so does not get automatic access to EU markets. What will the Government do to mitigate those problems?

Mr. Thomas: It is precisely because of the problems that my hon. Friend rightly identifies that we continue to provide support across, especially for HIV/AIDS, and from which Swaziland benefits. On the specific issue of sugar, the research that we have undertaken in our Department suggests that the Swaziland sugar industry, unlike some in other African, Caribbean and Pacific countries, has a strong future. As part of discussions on economic partnership agreements, we have called for unlimited access to EU markets for all products including sugar. Such a move will help Swaziland.

Mr. Andrew Mitchell (Sutton Coldfield) (Con): The Minister will be aware that Swaziland has the highest HIV/AIDS infection rate of anywhere in the world, at 36 per cent. Does he agree that it is abhorrent and deeply offensive that British aid funds are effectively being spent on building new palaces and buying exotic cars for the King of Swaziland's ever-increasing number of wives?

Mr. Thomas: Let me reassure the hon. Gentleman and the House that our aid to Swaziland is not disbursed by the Government. The only direct support that we provide is in an attempt to improve the effectiveness of the Ministry of Health. Our aid is distributed through the Southern African Development Community, UN organisations and the European Union.

Mrs. Betty Williams (Conwy) (Lab): What recent assessment his Department has made of the incidence of HIV/AIDS in Papua New Guinea; and if he will make a statement.

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for International Development (Mr. Gareth Thomas): The UN estimates that HIV prevalence in Papua New Guinea is at 0.6 per cent. of the population. Australia is the major supporter of Papua New Guinea's national AIDS plan. We are working with the Government of Australia to help develop their 2005-10 strategy for Papua New Guinea in this area. We have not undertaken a separate assessment ourselves.

Mrs. Williams: Given that there is no DFID programme for Papua New Guinea, and that the situation is so serious there—as the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association witnessed two weeks ago—can my hon. Friend ensure that the global fund is able to prioritise assistance to that country, which seems to have been forgotten by the rest of the world? What can he do to ensure that the global fund has sufficient funds to meet those needs? 

Mr. Thomas: We will continue to encourage the global fund to engage with the issue of HIV/AIDS, in particular in Papua New Guinea. Currently, the fund has a $15 million programme in the country, so it is clearly engaging already. On my hon. Friend's broader question about the replenishment needs of the global fund, we hosted the replenishment conference for the fund in September, when about 29 donors pledged about $3.7 billion for the global fund—a substantial increase on the resources available until now. More needs to be done and there will be a follow-up conference next year to raise more funds.

Questions to the Secretary of State for International Development     (12/10/2005)

Ms Sally Keeble (Northampton, North) (Lab): Does my right hon. Friend agree that the food crisis in southern Africa is made worse by the high prevalence of HIV/AIDS? What is the Department doing to help meet those particular needs, especially the needs of HIV/AIDS orphans? How are we making sure that money provided to that group reaches community-based groups that provide feeding schemes for those vulnerable children?

The Secretary of State for International Development (Hilary Benn): We are currently working up a programme with UNICEF to provide support in the fight against HIV/AIDS across the region. The crisis is the consequence of climatic change—we now seem to have one severe drought every 10 years—AIDS, which means that people are less able to cope, rising unemployment and population growth. My hon. Friend will be aware that we have recently doubled our contribution to the global fund and we have done a great deal of work this year to make sure that, having put the money in to fight AIDS, it actually works effectively on the ground to bring help, including treatment to those who need it. There are now a number of people in Malawi, for example, who are getting antiretrovirals, which was not the case when I last visited there four years ago.

Mr. Gregory Campbell (East Londonderry) (DUP): Much good work continues to be done by relief agencies in Africa, but what are the Government doing to establish further action against those who are engaged in fraud and corruption, particularly the actions of Robert Mugabe in Zimbabwe?

Hilary Benn: The governance of Robert Mugabe over the last 25 years has turned Zimbabwe from the food basket of Africa into a country that is no longer able to feed its own population. We are providing support through the world food programme and we are running an HIV/AIDS programme in Zimbabwe to help those who are affected. That is not helped when countries send in tents to house the people who have had their homes demolished and the Government of Zimbabwe then rip down those tents and say that they will not accept any more tents for people who have nowhere to live.

Mr. Tom Clarke (Coatbridge, Chryston and Bellshill) (Lab): At the forthcoming trade talks in Hong Kong, will my right hon. Friend seek to influence discussion on transparency about the common agricultural policy and other trading organisations so that some of Africa's poorest farmers do not have to face some of the most awkward and unacceptable trade barriers?

Hilary Benn: I can assure my right hon. Friend that that is what we will do. In the long term, fairer trade and opening up our markets to give African farmers the chance to earn and trade their way out of poverty is the key to their having a better life. The current world trade rules make it difficult for them to do that, but there are also other issues such as infrastructure. A number of the countries concerned are landlocked, and improving the infrastructure would bring down the costs of transport and of fertiliser for poor farmers and would help people earn a better living.

Mr. Andrew Mitchell (Sutton Coldfield) (Con): Clearly, the Secretary of State deserves considerable credit for the initiatives that he has taken on the southern African food crisis. But does he feel that he is getting inadequate support from other European countries and other members of the G8? Does he accept that following the food crisis throughout Africa, including in Niger and Darfur—the UN recently reported that up to 4 million people are in danger of starvation there—an effective early warning system, co-ordinated international responses and prevention, rather than last-minute desperate reactions prompted by TV footage, are what is needed? 

Hilary Benn: I do indeed agree. We need a UN system that has the capacity to respond straight away, which is why I have been a strong advocate of a humanitarian fund. We now have six countries prepared to contribute $150 million next year to give the UN that capacity. In relation to the food crisis in southern Africa, early warning has helped us to prepare, but the other issue that we must address is dealing with the problem in the long term. Repeated food aid does not break the cycle of destitution, so we are also exploring safety net schemes. We will give people a bit of money, most of which they will spend on food, but if they can save a bit to buy assets—such as the plough that they had to sell because they were so poor—we may be able to help people out of the pit in which they find themselves.

Questions to the Prime Minister     (20/07/05)

Mr. Neil Gerrard (Walthamstow) (Lab): The commitment that was made at the G8 to aim for universal access to drugs treatment for HIV by 2010 was enormously important. I am sure that the Prime Minister accepts that we need substantial and sustained increases in aid from developed countries beyond anything that has been agreed so far if we are to have any chance of achieving that aim. With that in mind, what are his objectives for the conference that will be held here in September on the replenishment of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria? Does he accept that, if that fund is not replenished, that will send a signal that the G8 is not serious about the commitments that it made?

The Prime Minister: My hon. Friend will understand that part of the purpose of the conference in September is to replenish the funding. It is important that we do that, but I emphasise that it is not only the global fund that will help in tackling AIDS. It is also bilateral relationships, not least those that this country has with African countries that are suffering from AIDS, a huge pandemic that is causing misery across the whole continent and reducing life expectancy. If we secure the commitments that we envisaged at the G8, that will get us as close as possible to universal access to HIV/AIDS treatment by 2010, which would be a huge achievement.

Questions to the Prime Minister    (30/06/05)

Dr. Evan Harris (Oxford, West and Abingdon) (LD): The policy of the US Administration not to allow any of their aid funds to be used for the support of HIV prevention programmes involving the use of condoms in AIDS-ravaged Africa is costing tens of thousands of lives and putting pressure on Department for International Development budgets. May I urge the Prime Minister not to be discouraged by his failure to persuade his good friend and ally, George Bush, on Kyoto and Guantanamo and to continue to press the US President to stop that policy for the sake of the African continent, and will he condemn that policy now?

The Prime Minister: What I will do, if the hon. Gentleman will allow me, is set out the policy of the UK Government. The policy of the UK Government is to increase the amount of help we give for HIV/AIDS; actually, we have ended up trebling the amount of aid we give Africa. I am responsible for UK policy; it is one of which we can be proud. The money and help we are giving Africa is far in excess of anything the Liberal Democrats have ever asked for.

Questions to the Prime Minister    (29/06/05)

HIV/AIDS Treatment

Dr. Evan Harris (Oxford, West and Abingdon) (LD): What progress he has made on his commitment regarding universal access for HIV/AIDS treatment in the developing world.

The Prime Minister: As it was made clear in our manifesto, we are pressing for universal access to AIDS treatment—in fact, by 2010. However, to make progress we need the international community to work together to help to ensure that there are enough health clinics, doctors, nurses and drugs to reach all people with AIDS in the poorest countries.

Dr. Harris: The Prime Minister is of course right, but does he realise that the UK is poaching thousands of doctors and nurses from sub-Saharan Africa without any form of restitution, such as specific funding or sending our own manpower back? Indeed, the Government are telling British doctors not to treat the very small number of African patients with HIV who have no status in this country and are forcing them to go back to countries in which they have very little chance of treatment, and thus, most likely, to their death. How can the Prime Minister claim moral leadership on the matter with G8 leaders when our current policy and practice appears to be to steal the doctors and reject the patients? Will he change his policy—

Mr. Speaker: Order.

The Prime Minister: There is no policy to steal doctors and nurses from developing countries. There is a code of practice to which we adhere that ensures that we do not do such a thing. If many of the people who come to this country were not coming here, I am afraid that they would not be staying in their own countries—that is the problem—because they would simply be going elsewhere. On the hon. Gentleman's point about turning away some people with HIV/AIDS from the national health service here, he will know that there has been a lot of concern about people coming here to be treated, so we have to be careful about that as well.

It would be grossly unfair to imply, as the hon. Gentleman did, that this country has not been taking a lead on HIV/AIDS. We have made huge investment in the global health fund. Nearly 1 million people now receive AIDS treatment, in part as a result of the work done by this country, and we are leading the international commitment to get action on both drugs and health clinics and the staffing that the poorest countries need. However, that will not be helped, frankly, by refusing to take anyone from the continent of Africa in circumstances in which those people have already made the decision to leave their own countries.

Questions to the Prime Minister   (14/06/05)

Mr. Neil Gerrard (Walthamstow) (Lab): On the problems of Africa, was there any discussion at the G8 about increasing commitments to the global health fund and about specific assistance to the World Health Organisation, to ensure that its target of having 3 million people on antiretroviral drugs by 2005, which is only next year, is met?

The Prime Minister: Yes, there was a discussion about   that and we have recommitted ourselves to ensuring it. There was also recognition that we need better co-ordination of the global effort on HIV/AIDS, as many of the countries facing that crisis often have a range of different donors and the aid is not co-ordinated as it should be. We have agreed to take that forward in our chairmanship.

Questions to the Leader of the House    (09/06/05)

Ms Celia Barlow (Hove) (Lab): Is my right hon. Friend aware of the excellent work that is carried out in my local NHS trust by the Lawson clinic in the area of post-exposure prophylaxis, known as PEP? Is he aware that although PEP is available to some of my constituents in Hove and Portslade, it is unfortunately not available universally? PEP is a treatment given to people who have been exposed to HIV. It has to be undertaken within 72 hours of potential exposure and is up to 80 per cent. effective in preventing the HIV virus from taking hold. May I urge my right hon. Friend to consider a debate on making PEP available in sexual health clinics and accident and emergency departments throughout the United Kingdom?

Mr. Hoon: I am extremely grateful to my hon. Friend for making that information available to me and to the House, as I am sure that many other right hon. and hon. Members are not familiar with that detail. Again, I am sure that it would be an appropriate subject for an Adjournment debate here or in Westminster Hall.

Questions to the Secretary of State for International Development     (25/05/05)

AIDS Orphans

Alistair Burt (North-East Bedfordshire) (Con): What recent assessment he has made of the situation of AIDS orphans in sub-Saharan Africa. 

The Secretary of State for International Development (Hilary Benn): According to UN statistics, more than 14 million children under 15 have lost parents to AIDS in Africa. Those orphans are more likely than other children to go hungry, miss school and lack the basic needs such as clothing and shelter. Sixteen African countries have now developed national plans to tackle the problem and the UK has committed to spending £123 million over three years to help AIDS orphans and vulnerable children in the sub-continent.

Alistair Burt: I commend to the Secretary of State the report recently published by World Vision, looking in particular at four sub-Saharan African countries, which confirmed the sad conclusions that he read out in relation to those orphans' access to education, health care and their basic needs. That is contrary to national and international commitments to them already entered into. In encouraging others to ensure that those commitments are given a higher priority, will he please look in particular at the need for research into children's antiretroviral formulas, because the absence of that treatment for children is making their distressed condition even more vulnerable?

Hilary Benn: The hon. Gentleman makes an important suggestion that I undertake to look into and to write to him on. More broadly, part of the funding that we are making available will go to help pay the school fees of AIDS orphans who would not otherwise be able to afford to go to school, help with feeding at school and providing the needs of life, such as bedding, somewhere to sleep and someone to care for them. When we consulted on our AIDS plan, one point that came back strongly was that we need to do more to support orphans, and out of that, from the £1.5 billion commitment that we have made over the next three years, we have earmarked this sum to work specifically with AIDS orphans and to support the countries that are increasingly developing policies to provide practical help on the ground.

Chris McCafferty (Calder Valley) (Lab): My right hon. Friend will be aware that women in sub-Saharan Africa do not have equality of access to antiretroviral therapies. What is his Department doing to ensure equity and equality of access in order to reduce maternal and child mortality and the number of AIDS orphans?

Hilary Benn: My hon. Friend raises an important point. We are doing that, first by supporting the development of health services in Africa so that they are better able to provide for the needs of all; secondly, by saying very clearly that—to refer to the point made by the hon. Member for North-East Bedfordshire (Alistair Burt)—the needs of women and children should be taken into account, so that it is not just men who have access to the treatment; and, thirdly, by funding ground-breaking research, such as that being done into microbicides, which, if successful, would provide women with a chance to protect themselves from HIV.

Mr. Jeffrey M. Donaldson (Lagan Valley) (DUP): I am sure that the Secretary of State will agree that, AIDS being one of the major problems confronting the continent of Africa, a more strategic approach is needed to the way in which we help those countries. Can he give us an update on the progress in establishing the Commission for Africa?

Hilary Benn: The Commission for Africa has reported and it has provided the background, along with a number of other initiatives that have been taken, to the political choice that we face as a world this year as to whether we will do what we know needs to be done to make a difference. That is why yesterday's agreement in Brussels was so significant. Here we have a clear message from a group of very rich countries that it is prepared to put more resources into aid. It is why we need a debt relief deal, why we need the international finance facility and why we need a more open and fairer trading system. The momentum is building, but the real test will be what happens in the G8 and at the millennium summit later this year.

Questions to the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for International Development    (25/05/05)

Tuberculosis

Mr. David Amess (Southend, West) (Con): What action his Department is taking to assist in stemming the spread of tuberculosis in the developing world.

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for International Development (Mr. Gareth Thomas): We support TB control through, for example, our support to the global Stop TB partnership, the World Health Organisation and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. Since January 2002, the global fund has approved some $488 million in grants for TB control and $102 million for tackling HIV/TB co-infection. We also support TB control work directly in a number of countries, including Malawi, India, Nepal and China, and indirectly through our work to support the strengthening of health systems.

Mr. Amess: I know that the Minister shares my dismay at the increasing prevalence of TB in Africa and that he believes that our efforts to tackle HIV and AIDS should be closely integrated to tackle that common coincident disease. On 7 April, the Secretary of State suggested that non-governmental organisations and academics would be consulted. What stage has that consultation reached, with whom is the right hon. Gentleman consulting and can the Minister announce any specific action that the Government intend to take at this stage?

Mr. Thomas: I agree that we need to do more to tackle TB and AIDS/TB co-infection. The consultation ends on 16 June, so there is still time for the hon. Gentleman and other hon. Members to submit their views on what else they think we should do in TB control.

It is clear that the international community has to do much more. In that context, I am sure that the hon. Gentleman welcomes yesterday's historic deal within the European Union to increase substantially the amount of money for international development assistance. He is well known for his pro-European views, so I am sure that he will pay tribute, not only to my right hon. Friends for their success in negotiating the deal, but to the Commission and our European allies for the part that they played in securing it.

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