HIV Research: Funding (Hansard, 5 November 1991)

§ The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Health (Baroness Hooper)
My Lords, yes. In the current year in England we have made £1.8 million available through Section 64 funds for the voluntary sector. In addition, we have allocated earmarked funds of £137.3 million to health authorities and £10.2 million to local authorities. Guidance has been issued to those authorities to encourage them to contract with voluntary groups. On research, over a five-year period the Government spent over £59 million on AIDS/HIV-related research. In addition of course we support education and prevention programmes.

§ Lord Dean of Beswick
My Lords, I am grateful to the Minister for that Answer. Naturally those funds are extremely welcome. Is she aware that the Terrence Higgins Trust, which is the leading organisation dealing with AIDS in this country, faces a deficit of £1 million in its next year's budget? That may result in it having to make substantial numbers of people redundant. Is that not a retrograde step, and should we not do our best to avoid it? Will the Government consider providing increased assistance for such bodies to deal with the situation?

§ Baroness Hooper
My Lords, the department already gives the Terrence Higgins Trust a large Section 54 grant. It is currently £450,000 a year over a three-year period. That goes towards its core costs. It is the biggest single voluntary sector recipient of AIDS funds. Of course we expect the trust to contract with statutory providers for payment for those services that it provides in their areas, as appropriate. The department is working closely with the trust to ensure that it maximises its income in that area and that statutory purchasers are willing to enter into constructive working relationships with voluntary providers.

§ Lord Kilmarnock
My Lords, have the Government read the report of the National Audit Office on HIV and AIDS-related services, in particular paragraphs 242 to 246 on voluntary sector funding? Have they noted the criticisms contained there of the extreme complexity of the present arrangements? Are they aware that charitable giving has fallen dramatically 140 during the recession? Will they consider increasing temporarily their grants to voluntary bodies performing a national role, such as the Terrence Higgins Trust?

§ Baroness Hooper
My Lords, I believe that I have already said that we support substantially the work of the Terrence Higgins Trust. I have seen the NAO report. We are currently considering what our response will be. We note what the noble Lord said.

§ Lord Ennals
My Lords, as a patron of the National AIDS Foundation perhaps I may ask the Minister a question. First, is she satisfied that the money allocated is being used effectively by health authorities? Is she aware that some health authorities have used moneys allocated for HIV/AIDS to relieve their fairly desperate financial situation? Secondly, is she aware that many health authorities have not used in any way the funds available to them for HIV/AIDS work?

§ Baroness Hooper
My Lords, we are monitoring the spend of those substantial funds allocated by the Government and local authorities. It is true that in its analysis of the 1989–90 AIDS control Act, the department found that some regions had transferred funds to their capital overspend. We have ensured that those moneys are reallocated and have intervened as necessary, as the NAO report notes.

§ Baroness Masham of Ilton
My Lords, as regards the new funding arrangements, who will pay for people with AIDs from foreign countries such as Italy and Spain and from South America who become ill? Many have been or are being treated in our hospitals and by voluntary organisations.

§ Baroness Hooper
My Lords, overseas visitors to this country who need emergency treatment will always receive it under the National Health Service in this case as in any other.

§ Baroness Masham of Ilton
My Lords, it is not just emergency treatment but ongoing care. They come to Britain because we have good services.

§ Baroness Hooper
My Lords, we note the point of the noble Baroness. We are making appropriate arrangements to ensure that the long-term needs of such people are catered for.

§ Lord Carter
My Lords, can the Minister confirm that the ring-fencing of HIV funding will continue? As concerns complexity, is she aware that last year the Terrence Higgins Trust had to make 69 separate applications to the London boroughs and district and regional authorities in arriving at its funding? Have the Government any plans to simplify the procedure?

§ Baroness Hooper
My Lords, there is good news in terms of future levels of funding. My right honourable friend the Secretary of State recently announced an increase for 1992–93 in the AIDS support grant, the earmarked funds to local authorities, of 50 per cent. That takes the amount of the grant to £15.3 million. It shows, I believe, our commitment to high levels of funding for AIDS services. In the general context of 141 the reforms, we are examining the way in which voluntary sector organisations have to contract with a number of different authorities in order to simplify the mechanisms involved.

§ Lord Hunter of Newington
My Lords, do the Government have a special committee examining the tragic effects of the illness on children?

§ Baroness Hooper
My Lords, as the noble Lord knows, we have set up the AIDS action group. Obviously, one of the areas the group is considering is the effect on children.