§ Mr. SoleyTo ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what steps he has taken to satisfy himself that resources for AIDS are targeted effectively and that full use is made of AIDS care education and training;
(2) what steps he has taken to satisfy himself that the £140 million AIDS allocation is being used efficiently and appropriately to meet current needs.
§ Mrs. Virginia BottomleyThe Department monitors the use of ring-fenced money allocated to regional health authorities through the AIDS (Control) Act reports.
§ Mr. SoleyTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what action he intends to take to ensure there are no delays in the payment of NHS AIDS money to the voluntary sector; and what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the current arrangements.
§ Mrs. Virginia BottomleyThe Department allocated £137.3 million of ring-fenced AIDS money in 1991–92 to regions, which in turn allocate them to their districts. In addition, we also allocated £1.9 million to the voluntary sector in 1991–92 and £10.2 million through the AIDS support grant scheme to local authorities. Mechanisms for payment and for decisions about grant-giving and contracts are established locally, according to local circumstances and need.