AIDS (Hansard, 23 February 1987)

§ 66. Mr. Alton
asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what additional help his Department is providing to developing countries particularly affected by AIDS.

§ Mr. Chris Patten
We have recently given £250,000 to the World Health Organisation's global AIDS programme. New WHO proposals for expanding this programme will be available shortly and I expect to provide further support. We believe that support for programmes co-ordinated by the WHO is the most effective way of assisting developing countries to combat AIDS.

§ Mr. Chapman
asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement about the technical assistance part of the United Kingdom's overseas aid programmes, including the number of people involved.

§ Mr. Chris Patten
The purpose of technical co-operation is to provide training and expert advice in aid recipient countries. At the end of 1985 we had 1,899 wholly or partly financed experts working in such countries. We also provided substantial support towards the costs of 1,188 volunteers. The total number of students and trainees from developing countries on courses in Britain funded from the aid programme was 11,250 in 1985–86.

§ 68. Mr. Soames
asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the size and content of the British aid programmes to Botswana, Mozambique and Zimbabwe.

§ Mr. Chris Patten
For Botswana we expect to spend about £13 million this year, £8 million of which is expenditure by the Commonwealth Development Corporation. The remainder is for technical co-operation.
For Mozambique we expect to spend about £11 million, mainly on essential supplies for the industrial sector, technical co-operation and food aid. In addition, I have recently announced over £3 million of emergency relief and a new grant of £5 million for long-term development projects.
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For Zimbabwe we expect to spend about £12.5 million, mainly on resettlement schemes, programme aid and technical co-operation. I announced a new pledge of £10 million for Zimbabwe during my recent visit.