Reproductive Healthcare (Hansard, 10 July 2000)

§ Baroness Amos
My Lords, the reproductive health target embraces all reproductive health services: safe motherhood, the prevention and treatment of sexually transmitted diseases and access to good quality family planning services, information and commodities. Although funding for all non-governmental organisations under the Civil Society Challenge Fund is on a cost-sharing basis, this constitutes a small proportion of funding that is available to reproductive healthcare NGOs. DfID will continue to play a key role in achieving the aim of universal access to 5 reproductive healthcare but improvements will be possible only where the countries concerned have the political will to ensure this.

§ Viscount Craigavon
My Lords, I am grateful to the noble Baroness for her response, in particular the apparent commitment of the Government to this very important area. While at present NGOs in this field may have reconciled themselves to the level of funding which the Government are to give them over the next few years, will HMG keep under review the effects that these fairly substantial cuts may have on NGOs, in particular the smaller ones that find it very difficult to raise large percentages of their project funds and in general NGOs that over the years have developed considerable skill and expertise in this very important field?

§ Baroness Amos
My Lords, I congratulate the noble Viscount on asking his Question today, bearing in mind that tomorrow is World Population Day. I am sure that the whole House will congratulate him, given that he always manages to table a Question on this subject every year. The noble Viscount asked me specifically whether the Civil Society Challenge Fund would review its funding arrangements for NGOs. I assure him that we intend to review this matter on a continuous basis. My right honourable friend the Secretary of State for International Development has agreed that in the first three years of the Civil Society Challenge Fund, funding for NGOs working in the area of reproductive health will be 85 per cent, 70 per cent and 50 per cent.

§ Lord Redesdale
My Lords, as the funding is to be reduced over three years, which is an improvement on a reduction in the first year of 50 per cent, can the noble Baroness tell the House where the matching funding is to be found? I believe that in the Minister's response to the noble Viscount she implied that matching funding should he found in the developing countries, which are, as she is well aware, under stress at the moment.

§ Baroness Amos
My Lords, the overall funding in this area will not be reduced. All our figures show a continuing rise in the area of reproductive health. It is only in the area of the Civil Society Challenge Fund that there has always been matched funding under what is called the JFS. However, there was a slightly different arrangement for reproductive health NGOs which had 100 per cent funding. Our funding overall has increased, not decreased. As to matching funding, we expect it to come from, for example, other international institutions such as the UN or foundations.

§ Baroness Rendell of Babergh
My Lords, does the Minister agree that continuous funding is necessary in one area of reproductive health; namely, putting an end to female genital mutilation? Fifteen thousand 6 girls are still in danger of mutilation. In parts of the Horn of Africa the mutilation of girls amounts to almost 100 per cent.

§ Baroness Amos
My Lords, as I said in answer to the noble Lord, Lord Redesdale, our overall funding is increasing not decreasing.
Female genital mutilation is a basic violation of women's rights. Our multilateral partners—for example, the World Health Organisation, UNFPA and UNICEF—are working to persuade governments to tackle FGM as both a human rights abuse and a public health concern. FGM has been reduced in 28 African countries where it is practised. It has been banned in law by one third. So some improvements are being made.

§ Baroness Gardner of Parkes
My Lords, is there additional and separate funding to deal with the problem of AIDS? The noble Baroness mentioned sexually transmitted diseases. AIDS is the most serious concern world-wide and in particular in Africa.

§ Baroness Amos
My Lords, there is not a separate fund for AIDS. Funding is through bilateral and multilateral donors and through the Civil Society Fund. AIDS is one of the areas we are looking at. My noble friend Lady Rendell will ask a Question on the subject tomorrow.

§ Lord Oakeshott of Seagrove Bay
My Lords, is the Minister aware that the United Nations joint programme on HIV and AIDS published last week a chilling report predicting that two-thirds of today's 15 year-olds in Botswana will die of AIDS by the age of 50? Do the Government accept the analysis and conclusions of that report, in particular the call for a massive increase in political will—I was pleased that she referred to that earlier—to fight the AIDS epidemic in Southern Africa?
What instructions have been given, in particular in the area of health education, to our representatives who have been sent to the World AIDS Conference— sadly, there are no Ministers—which opened in Durban yesterday?

§ Baroness Amos
My Lords, my department is extremely concerned that the development gains we have made to date, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa, are being eroded by the spread of AIDS in sub-Saharan Africa. I agree with the noble Lord that political will is extremely important. We have seen its importance in countries like Uganda where leadership from the top has been important in taking forward AIDS awareness programmes.
At the Durban conference we have representatives from both the Department of Health and the Department for International Development. Clearly there are scientific, health and development issues which we need to consider across the board.