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HIV/AIDS
Mr. Graham Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps the Government has taken during its G8 and EU presidencies to tackle HIV and AIDS in developing countries. [32985]
Mr. Thomas: As president of the G8 and the EU, the UK is showing leadership in the global fight against AIDS through a strong commitment to prevention and treatment.
Gleneagles secured an important agreement
to develop and implement a package for HIV prevention, treatment and care, with the aim of as close as possible to universal access to treatment for all those who need it by 2010"
The universal access commitment was also agreed at the Millennium Summit in September. The UK convened a follow-up meeting, bringing together officials from the G8, developing countries, civil society, together with the Joint United Nations Programme for AIDS (UNAIDS), the World Health Organisation (WHO), the World Bank and UNICEF to start mapping out how to deliver against the commitment.
The UNAIDS have now set up a Global Steering Committee (GSC), co-chaired by the UK and UNAIDS. The GSC will meet for the first time in
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Washington DC on 9–10 January 2006 and is expected to report to the High level UN General Assembly Special Session in mid 2006.
The UK also hosted the third and final Replenishment Conference for the Global Fund to fight AIDS, TB and Malaria on 5 and 6 September. The UN Secretary General, Kofi Annan, chaired the Conference. My right hon. Friend, Hilary Benn was able to confirm the UK's earlier announcement of a doubling of our support for the Global Fund in 2006 and 2007 to £100 million in each of these two years. The UK's pledge amounted to 10 per cent. of the US$3.7 billion pledged to the Global Fund for the two-year period by international donors, far exceeding our 'fair share'. The amount pledged by 29 donors represents more than half of the Global Fund's total resource needs for the two-year period.
The conference included a session on the global architecture within which the Global Fund operates. These discussions built on the 'Three Ones' principles and the UK co-hosted 'Making the Money Work' meeting, which had established a Global Task Team (GTT) to improve AIDS co-ordination among multilateral and international donors. As a result of the GTT, the UK expects fundamental improvements in how the UN and international donors such as the Global Fund work together to support countries develop and lead effective responses to AIDS. To support this work, the UK doubled our contributions to the UNAIDS for the next two years.
EU Ministers, meeting in London on 30 November under the UK presidency, also confirmed their commitment to increased prevention by issuing a statement on a vision for an AIDS free generation, the first pan-European pledge of its kind. The statement backs efforts to give people around the world better access to condoms and effective information. It advocates a comprehensive and evidenced based approach to HIV prevention including sexual and reproductive health information and services, harm reduction programmes for injecting drug users and reliable access to sexual and reproductive health commodities.
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Iraq
Mr. Holloway: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many consultants his Department employs in Iraq; and how much each was paid in the last year for which figures are available. [32662]
Hilary Benn:
DFID primarily employs consultants through contracts with consultancy companies. The
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following table therefore lists the number of consultants DFID currently employs in Iraq under each consultancy programme, and how much DFID has paid each for consultancy programme over the last 12 months, where this number exceeds £100,000. The amount paid includes not only consultants' fees, but also travel costs and expenses, and project management support from the UK and from locally-engaged staff.
(5)Project started August 2005. No invoices yet cleared
Mr. Holloway: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development which reconstruction projects have been (a) approved and (b) completed since the end of the Iraq war; and what the cost of each project was. [32663]
Hilary Benn: Since the end of the conflict, DFID has approved the following reconstruction programmes in Iraq:
(6)Spent
More information on DFID programmes in Iraq can be found at:
In addition, the Global Conflict Prevention Pool (GCPP), funded jointly by DFID, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, and the Ministry of Defence, has approved £43.6 million for reconstruction projects since the end of the conflict. I shall arrange for the document entitled 'Iraq Global Conflict Prevention Pool Projects, 2003–05' to be placed in the Libraries of the House.
Montserrat
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will make a statement on the development of the private sector on the island of Montserrat; and if he will list private foreign investments initiated in the last three years. [33674]
Mr. Thomas:
We share the view of the Government of Montserrat (GoM) that development of the private sector is vital to Montserrat's economic recovery. A Private Sector Development Strategy has been agreed by the GoM; and design of a new Private Sector Development Project is nearly complete. This three year
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DFID-funded project will create an appropriate environment for development of the sector through the provision of business support services, including access to finance and the promotion of inward investment. It will complement ongoing DFID support for tourism development.
The GoM also intends to set up a Montserrat Development Corporation, for which initial funding will be provided by DFID. The key roles of the corporation will be the promotion and co-ordination of private sector development activities and delivery of a project to establish a new capital town at Little Bay. We expect the corporation to be operational next year.
There has already been interest in investing, and in some cases re-investing, in Montserrat. Proposals under consideration include a water bottling factory, an ash slates factory, a geothermal energy project and establishment of a medical college.
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps his Department is taking to encourage holiday companies to introduce package holidays to Montserrat. [33678]
Mr. Thomas: A National Tourism Strategy and Plan was approved by the Government of Montserrat in May 2003. DFID is providing £1.6 million for three year Tourism Development Project, based on the strategy. This will develop and market Montserrat tourism products, and re-introduce Montserrat to the regional and international tourism markets. Although Montserrat is not suited to mass tourism, a combination of the resumption of fixed wing air services last July and marketing activities supported by the tourism project could help to encourage specialist holiday companies to offer package holidays to the island.
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps his Department is taking to encourage the tourist industry of scuba diving on the island of Montserrat. [33679]
Mr. Thomas: The development of tourism is seen by the Government of Montserrat and DFID as a key element in Montserrat's economic recovery. DFID is providing £1.6 million for a Tourism Development Project to re-develop and market Montserrat's tourism products. Among other things, the project will assist the private sector in establishing a market for diving through effective marketing and promotions. In addition, it will enhance the image of Montserrat as a destination for diving, while conserving the reef and marine environment through the establishment of diving sites and moorings.
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