Global Fund (Hansard, 10 May 2004)

HC Deb 10 May 2004 vol 421 c60W 60W

§ Tom Brake
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what research his Department has conducted on(a) the amount of disbursements made by the Global Fund to fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria in 2003 and (b) the amount of money actually spent by recipient governments; and if he will publish his findings. [171210]

§ Hilary Benn
As a partner and Board member of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, DFID does not conduct its own separate research on the amount of disbursements made by the Global Fund or on money spent by recipient governments. The Global Fund is a public and private partnership and DFID works collaboratively with other partners through the Board to ensure that the financial reporting systems of the Fund are strong, and transparent.
DFID is an active member of the Monitoring, Evaluation, Finance: and Audit (MEFA) Committee of the Fund. Part of the mandate of this Committee is to review the Global Fund's performance, including areas such as financial audit and results-based disbursement.

§ Tom Brake
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much has been pledged to the Global Fund to fight AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria; how much has been disbursed by the Global Fund; and how much has been spent on administration costs in that period. [171211]

§ Hilary Benn
The total amount pledged to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria is currently US$5.3 billion. Disbursements by the Global Fund currently total US$ 285 million.
Administration costs are kept low and are subject to regular review by the Board. DFID expects these costs to decrease over time as disbursement accelerates. For 2002, they were US$12.8 million and for 2003 they were US$31.8 million. Costs for the first quarter of 2004 were US$10 million. Operating costs are expected to decline as grant expenditure increases. The Global Fund operates in a transparent way and information—including budgets for its operating expenses—can be viewed on the Global Fund website at www.theglobalfund.org.