§ 2. Helen Jackson (Sheffield, Hillsborough)If he will make a statement about Her Majesty the Queen's state visit to Mozambique. [99944]
§ The Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Mr. Peter Hain)Her Majesty the Queen visited Mozambique on 15 November and I was delighted to accompany her. As the Commonwealth's newest member, Mozambique has made remarkable economic, political and social progress since the end of the brutal civil war in 1992 and it now enjoys an established working democracy.
§ Helen JacksonI thank my hon. Friend for his reply. I am sure that he will agree that, from being counted as one of the poorest countries in the world, Mozambique is now one of southern Africa's success stories. That is largely due to the way in which its Government have 679 worked alongside Britain and other developed countries to establish effective anti-poverty programmes, which have led to two thirds of its debt being written off. I would be grateful if my hon. Friend would tell the House, following Her Majesty the Queen's recent visit, what further steps the Government propose to build on that valuable work.
§ Mr. HainI agree with my hon. Friend's comments. Mozambique, having been engulfed by a brutal civil war until the 1990s—effectively supported by elements in the west and the old apartheid regime in South Africa—has now rebuilt its economy and has enjoyed two successive years of double-digit growth. It is a good place to invest. British businesses should look to get in there quickly. I have asked the high commissioner in Maputo to take forward a new programme to improve links between information technology companies and universities in Mozambique and Britain.
§ Dr. Jenny Tonge (Richmond Park)What discussions did the Minister or his officials have in Mozambique on the economic effect of HIV-AIDS, and especially that country's ability to fulfil the structural adjustments programme for the International Monetary Fund?
§ Mr. HainWe raised all those issues. AIDS is a dreadful epidemic throughout Africa, claiming 5,500 lives a day—an extraordinary total. Mozambique is also engulfed by that plague. So we have worked with the Mozambique Government and stand ready to do so further. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for International Development runs an active programme of close co-operation with Mozambique and visited it last year. We shall work with Mozambique to improve its economy in every possible way.