HC Deb 13 July 1999 vol 335 cc103-4W
Mr. Streeter

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what percentage of her Department's budget is allocated to(a) treatment, (b) prevention and (c) care, rehabilitation and social inclusion in respect of children and HIV/AIDS. [91196]

Mr. Foulkes

We currently spend about £35 million per year directly on HIV/AIDS activities. We expect this to increase in the future. Because much of our work in this area is not restricted to specific target groups, but looks to improve systems which enable more effective national responses to HIV/AIDS, it is currently not possible to identify accurately the proportion of expenditure relevant to children, and a further breakdown thereof.

But we treat with utmost seriousness the issue of HIV/AIDS and children. We are particularly concerned about the growing burden faced by poor countries in caring for AIDS orphans, as well as of the impact on the children themselves. We are working closely with UNAIDS and others in seeking to find ways to mitigate this impact

Mr. Streeter

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what her Department's policy is on children with HIV/AIDS. [91197]

Mr. Foulkes

Of the 2.5 million people who died of AIDS in 1998, 510,000 were children under 15. Infection runs faster in children than in adults. Children are not only infected with HIV, but also affected: many have lost one or both parents as a result of HIV/AIDS.

As a consequence, we attach great importance to the particular needs of children. Without a cure, our primary objective is to prevent transmission to children and we are working with others, particularly UNAIDS, to identify ways in which this can be achieved more effectively, for example in preventing mother to child transmission.