§ Mr. DarlingTo ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will set out the criteria used in allocating resources to health authorities for their work in connection with(a) HIV/AIDS and (b) drug abuse, including the criteria in respect of (i) education and (ii) prevention in these areas; and if she will make a statement.
§ Mr. SackvilleAllocations to regional health authorities for the development of services for the treatment and care of people with HIV and AIDS are made on the basis of each region's HIV and AIDS prevalence and the costs of treatment. Allocations to regions for developing local HIV prevention work with their resident populations are made according to weighted capitation principles.
Funding for drugs services, including for work to prevent the spread of HIV among drug users and to their sexual partners, is based on the number of the population in each region aged between 15 and 34. Allocations have also been made as a contribution to the cost of methadone prescribing as part of a planned programme of treatment, and on the basis of regions' reported usage.