§ Mr. William PowellTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what the Government are doing to combat the spread of AIDS.
§ Mrs. Virginia BottomleyThe Government are fully committed to the fight against AIDS. Since 1985, we have allocated more than £500 million of earmarked funding to health and local authorities for the development of AIDS-related services and nearly £8 million to the voluntary sector. During this period we have also allocated over £62 million to support a major public education campaign and made some £50 million available for research into AIDS. In addition, we have played a full part in supporting international initiatives; we are the third largest contributor to WHO's global programme on AIDS.