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Schools (Acts of Worship)

Mr. Swayne: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what action he is taking to ensure that schools meet their obligations in respect of daily acts of worship. [169805]

Mr. Charles Clarke: As part of the basic school curriculum, all maintained schools must provide a daily act of collective worship for all its registered pupils. Schools' compliance with this statutory requirement is considered as part of school inspections. Inspectors are required to report formally on compliance and their overall judgment on governance will take this matter into account.

I am currently considering a range of proposals that are intended to help schools deliver their statutory responsibility on collective worship, and will announce the way forward in due course.

Teachers TV

Mr. Willis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what reports he has received on the impact of the Teachers TV pilot; and whether he expects it to go live as planned in August. [170463]

Mr. Miliband [holding answer 4 May 2004]: The Teachers TV pilot was comprehensive, testing 44 programmes during February and March with a sample of circa 1,000 teachers, heads, governors and classroom assistants. We have recently received the research data.

Once we have analysed the data from the research we will announce a decision on whether we will be proceeding to full channel launch. We expect to do this in June.

Truancy

Mr. Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills (1) if he will make a statement on the measures the Government are taking to deal with truancy; [169950]

(2) what the most recent figures are for truancy rates. [169951]

Mr. Ivan Lewis: Truancy is measured as the percentage of half school days missed due to unauthorised absence and stands at 0.70 per cent. for 2002/03. This is an improvement on the 2001/02 level of 0.72 per cent. and is equivalent to around 1,300 more pupils back in school each day. The 2002/03 level of
 
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school attendance of 93.17 per cent. is the highest ever recorded since national records began in 1993/94. These data indicate that the Department's Behaviour and Attendance Strategy, launched in December 2002, is making a positive impact on truancy. For example, 125 of the secondary schools supported by the targeted Behaviour Improvement Programme reduced truancy by 0.09 percentage points between 2001/02 and 2002/03—almost five times the national average. The programme is being evaluated and the good practice identified will be disseminated more widely. In this school year, we have made behaviour and attendance audit materials and training for staff available to every secondary school and we are piloting materials for primary schools in 25 local education authorities. In addition to providing support and good practice, for schools and their pupils, we are making it clear that we do not tolerate any unjustified absence from school. Since December 2002, national truancy sweeps have stopped over 50,000 pupils out of school, almost 40 per cent. of whom were judged to be truanting and, in about half of cases, the truant was with a parent. We have therefore introduced new measures, such as the Fast Track to Prosecution system and parenting contracts and penalty notices, to promote and reinforce parental responsibility for their child's school attendance.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

HIV/AIDS

Sir Archy Kirkwood: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development (1) whether combating the spread of AIDS in Africa will be a UK priority during its period of chairmanship of the G8 in 2005; [170514]

(2) whether combating AIDS in Africa will be a UK priority during its presidency of the EU in 2005. [170599]

Mr. Gareth Thomas: In December 2003 the Government published their "Call for Action on HIV/AIDS". The document was the first stage in stepping up our efforts to tackle the HIV/AIDS epidemic and sets out our clear intentions to provide high-level political leadership, to push for more resources to be made available and to work together more effectively with other donors. The Call for Action also signalled that HIV/AIDS, with a special focus on Africa, would be a centrepiece for our Presidencies of both the G8 and of the EU in 2005. DFID is currently developing ideas about how best to use our G8 Presidency to promote accelerated international action on HIV/AIDS.

Sir Archy Kirkwood: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what joint activity within the EU is being undertaken to combat AIDS in Africa. [170598]

Hilary Benn: Joint European Union (EU) actions to combat AIDS in developing countries are carried out within the framework of the European Commission's Programme for Action (PfA), entitled: "Accelerated action on HIV/AIDS, malaria and TB in the context of poverty reduction". The PfA entails a series of actions to increase the impact of existing interventions to combat HIV/AIDS; increase the affordability of key
 
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pharmaceuticals; and encourage investment in research for the development of global public goods to tackle HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis (TB) and malaria.

In order to help increase the affordability of medicines the EC supports the provisions of the Doha declaration on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS). The EC supports a strategy of tiered pricing of essential pharmaceuticals, whereby consumers in developing countries pay only for the basic production costs of patented drugs plus a modest mark-up. During the last two years the tiered pricing concept has become widely accepted within the EU. A major achievement was the adoption in May 2003 by the Council of a Regulation to avoid trade diversion into the EU market of certain key medicines, sold at reduced prices in developing countries.

In terms of increasing investment in research and development of specific global public goods to tackle HIV/AIDS and other diseases affecting the poorest, substantial resources have been allocated from the Research Framework Programmes for HIV/AIDS, malaria and TB research, including the establishment of the new European and Developing Countries Clinical Trials Partnership (EDCTP) initiative. More    information on the PfA is available at //europa.eu.int/comm/development/body/eu   africa/ docs/maladies   transmissibles   en.pdf.

The EU is committed to increasing the impact of interventions to tackle HIV/AIDS. However, progress has been slow in terms of increased support for health. Notwithstanding the large price reductions obtained since the adoption of the PfA, only few have access to anti-retroviral medicines, and to effective TB and malaria interventions. The proportion of national budgets devoted to health, and donor support needs to be increased.

Globally, the EC has been proactive in addressing the issues covered by the PfA, for example in the context of the G8, at EU/US summits, and at the EU/African Union Forum. The Commission also contributes to and is an active Board Member of the Global Fund to fight AIDS, TB and Malaria (GFATM). HIV/AIDS is among the priority development issues in the 2004–06 multi-annual strategic programme agreed by EU Heads of Government at the December 2003 European Council. The UK will prioritise HIV/AIDS and Africa during its Presidency next year. DFID is co-ordinating it's work closely with initiatives planned under the other five Presidencies during the 2004–06 period.

Malaria

Mr. Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development (1) what recent estimate his Department has made of the number of predicted fatalities from malaria among (a) key workers, (b) pregnant women and (c) children under five years in Sub-Saharan Africa in each year between 2004 and 2014; and if he will make a statement; [170300]

(2) what recent assessment his Department has made of the change in the level of malaria fatalities in Sub-Saharan Africa. [170299]

 
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Hilary Benn: The Department for International Development has not made any estimates of the predicted fatalities among different groups of people from malaria. DFID looks to the World Health Organisation to provide a technical lead on such questions.

Great progress was made in reducing malarial mortality in the 1970s and 1980s, yet many parts of Africa are now seeing an increase in the number of deaths from malaria. Malaria is Africa's leading cause of child mortality and constitutes 10 per cent. of the continent's overall disease burden. Approximately 3000 people die from malaria each day in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA).

A key cause of the recent rise in malaria deaths is an increase in resistance to antimalarial drugs, and the lack of affordable alternatives. In addition the capacity of health systems in Sub-Saharan Africa is often inadequate to respond effectively to malaria.

Nonetheless, malaria remains a disease that is preventable, treatable and curable. This Department remains strongly committed to meeting the Millennium Development Goal to halt and begin reversing the incidence of malaria by 2015, recognising the importance of malaria, not just in terms of disease burden, but also the potential it has to undermine economic growth and human development.

Since 1998 DFID provided in excess of £110 million to support malaria control activities globally and at country level. At the global level this includes support to Roll Back Malaria; a $280 million commitment to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria (which will fund distribution of insecticide impregnated bed nets and appropriate ant-malarial medication); support to the Medical Research Council; support to the Malaria Consortium Resource Centre; and initiatives to help find new low-cost malaria treatments.

DFID also supports malaria control activities at country-level through our bilateral county programmes, either through direct support to the health sector or through general budget support. DFID is committed to supporting national governments and their partners to help ensure that effective drugs and commodities including effective anti-malarial drugs are accessible to the poor. Since 1997 DFID has committed £1.5 billion to strengthen health systems to deliver vital drugs and health care treatment.

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