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Malaria
Mr. Martyn Jones:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment he has
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made of shortages identified by the United Nations of artemisinin-based combination therapy used in the treatment of malaria. [198776]
Mr. Gareth Thomas: DFID is guided by the World Health Organisation (WHO) on this subject. The WHO has indicated a shortfall in global supplies of artemisinin-based combination therapy (ACT), the most effective medicines available to treat drug resistant malaria, until March 2005. The shortfall is caused by a recent four-fold increase in demand as more countries adopt ACT as first line treatment. 40 countries, 20 in Africa, have adopted ACT since 2001.
The rapid increase in demand has created temporary pressure on availability in the market. There is insufficient supply of the key ingredient, artemether, from largely, its Chinese suppliers. Artemether is derived from artemisinin, a raw material extracted from the plant Artemisia annua. Chinese suppliers are scaling up production and efforts are underway to cultivate the plant in East Africa however cultivation requires a minimum of six months with extraction, processing and manufacturing of the final product requiring an additional three to five months. The UK and other agencies have encouraged the Chinese authorities to support cultivation in Africa through providing seed stocks.
The WHO is recommending that all countries facing shortages increase procurement of their second-line anti-malarial treatment, which is generally quinine. The WHO will provide technical assistance to any country facing interrupted supply of ACT and will provide regular information on expected quantities available, and delivery schedules. The WHO will also establish a system to prioritize between requests for ACT. A number of countries are in the process of changing drugs policies and are likely to put plans on hold temporarily.
The active ingredient within artemisinin has been identified and it is likely that chemical synthesis will replace reliance on cultivation within the next decade.
DFID supports programmes in many African countries to provide insecticide treated bed nets to the vulnerable and also supports efforts to strengthen health systems in malaria-affected countries.
Palestinian Territories
Mr. Foulkes: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what co-operation his Department has had with members of the Arab League in alleviating poverty in the Palestinian Territories. [199021]
Mr. Gareth Thomas: It has not proved possible to respond to my hon. Friend for Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley in the time available before Prorogation.
Stabex Programme
Mr. Alan Duncan: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what representations he has made to the European Commission concerning the retrieval of accurate information on the use of funds channelled through the Stabex programme; and if he will make a statement. [199191]
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Mr. Gareth Thomas: The Secretary of State has not made specific representations to the European Commission on this matter. No new commitments can be made under the Stabex instrument, which expired when the 9th European Development Fund came into force in April 2003. Some pre-existing Stabex commitments remain undisbursed and DFID officials continue to work with the European Commission to ensure that they are deployed effectively. The total amount committed but not disbursed in December 2003, was €3.8 billion; of this amount, agreements had been signed for all but €12million.
Turkmenistan/Armenia
Mr. Simmonds: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what development aid has been provided by the Government to the Governments of (a) Turkmenistan and (b) Armenia in each year since 2000; what conditions have been attached in each case; and what assessment has been made of the effectiveness of these conditions. [199038]
Mr. Gareth Thomas: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member for Boston and Skegness in the time available before Prorogation.
Yasser Arafat
Michael Fabricant: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what estimate his Department has made of the amount of funds in US dollars held by the estate of the late Yasser Arafat which originated from (a) United Kingdom bilateral aid and (b) aid from the European Union; and if he will make a statement. [198996]
Mr. Gareth Thomas: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member for Lichfield in the time available before Prorogation.
DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER
Street Wardens (Wandsworth)
Tom Cox: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister (1) what discussions he has had with Wandsworth council on the future role of street wardens in the London borough of Wandsworth; [199324]
(2) what contribution his Department has made towards the cost of street wardens in the London borough of Wandsworth. [199325]
Phil Hope:
The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister has contributed £1.3 million towards two warden schemes in the London borough of Wandsworth between 2001–02 and 2004–05. Officials in the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister have met with
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representatives from the London borough of Wandsworth on three occasions this year in May, June and September to discuss the future of the street wardens in the borough. These discussions are continuing.
Affordable Housing
David Taylor: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how affordable housing is defined by his Department in its projection of future housing need. [199146]
Keith Hill: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister does not make national projections of future housing need, but publishes trends based projections of future household growth based on demographic assumptions.
Assessments of future housing requirements, including affordable housing, are carried out by local planning authorities within the framework of the Regional Spatial Strategy process. For the purposes of securing affordable housing through the planning system, affordable housing can encompass both low-cost market and subsidised housing, irrespective of tenure, that is available to people who cannot afford to rent or buy houses generally available on the open market. In assessing future housing needs, local authorities are therefore expected to define in their Local Development Frameworks what they consider to be affordable in their area, in terms of the relationship between local income levels and house prices or rents for different types of households.
Simon Hughes: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister (1) if he will break down Low Cost Home Ownership units planned for Southwark in the Housing Corporation's 2004–06 Approved Development Programme by (a) one-bed, (b) two-bed, (c) three-bed and (d) four-bed or more; [199044]
(2) if he will break down Low Cost Home Ownership (LCHO) units planned for Southwark in the Housing Corporation's 2004–06 Approved Development Programme by (a) conventional shared ownership, (b) key worker shared ownership, (c) Homebuy and (d) other forms of LCHO. [199045]
Keith Hill: The Housing Corporation have so far allocated resources to fund a total of 239 shared ownership dwellings, of which 174 are for Keyworkers, and 196 Homebuy dwellings in Southwark over the years 2004–06. The other forms of Low Cost Home Ownership are Right to Acquire, which is demand-led; and the Voluntary Purchase Grant, of which none are planned in Southwark.
The following table below the split of low cost homeownership schemes by one, two, three and four or more bedrooms. The figure for Homebuy Market Purchase cannot be broken down until the individual properties are purchased.
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Kate Hoey: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister (1) how many of the Low Cost Home Ownership units planned for Lambeth in the Housing Corporation's 2004–06 Approved Development Programme are (a) one-bed units, (b) two-bed units, (c) three-bed units and (d) four-bed or more units; [199071]
(2) how many of the Low Cost Home Ownership units planned for Lambeth in the Housing Corporation's 2004–06 Approved Development Programme are (a) conventional shared ownership units, (b) Do-it-Yourself shared ownership units, (c) Homebuy units and (d) other forms of low-cost home ownership. [199072]
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Keith Hill: The Housing Corporation have so far allocated resources to fund a total of 275 shared ownership dwellings, and 196 Homebuy dwellings in Lambeth over the years 2004–06. In 1999, Homebuy was introduced into the Housing Corporation Approved Development Programme to replace Do-It-Yourself shared ownership schemes. The other forms of Low Cost Home Ownership are Right to Acquire, which is demand-led; and the Voluntary Purchase Grant, of which none are planned in Lambeth.
The following table shows the split of Low Cost Home Ownership schemes by one, two, three and four or more bedrooms. The figure for Homebuy Market Purchase cannot be broken down until the individual properties are purchased.
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