§ 7. Mr. KirkwoodTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what further plans he has to contribute to the international effort to combat the spread of AIDS.
§ Mr. EggarWe will continue to play a full and active part in international co-operative efforts.
On 26–28 January, we hosted in London a world summit of Ministers of Health on programmes for AIDS prevention. This conference, jointly organised with the World Health Organisation, was attended by representatives of 149 countries of whom over three quarters were Ministers. A London declaration on AIDS prevention was adopted by consensus; this should help to give a significant impetus to the development of public education and information programmes as the single most important component — in the absence of vaccine or cure — of national AIDS programmes.
As my right hon. Friend Secretary of State for Social Services announced on 26 January, we will, subject to parliamentary approval, be contributing a further £4.5 million from the overseas aid programme to the World Health Organisation's global programme on AIDS in 1988.