Asked by: Mike Freer (Conservative - Finchley and Golders Green)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assessment she has made of the effect of the US restoring the Mexico City Policy on the effectiveness of her Department's projects.
Answered by Lord Wharton of Yarm
The full implications of the reinstated and expanded Mexico City policy are not yet clear, but we are closely following developments. DFID will consider the implications with our offices, with UK civil society and with donors.
Asked by: Mike Freer (Conservative - Finchley and Golders Green)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, which (a) Ministers and (b) officials of her Department plan to attend the UN General Assembly high-level meeting on HIV/AIDS at the UN headquarters in New York in June 2016.
Answered by Nick Hurd
The UK government will be represented at the UN General Assembly high-level meeting on ending AIDS at the UN headquarters in New York in June 2016. Precise attendance has still to be finalised.
Asked by: Mike Freer (Conservative - Finchley and Golders Green)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, which (a) ministers and (b) officials of her Department will be present at the International Aids Conference in Durban in July 2016.
Answered by Nick Hurd
The UK government will be represented at the International AIDS Conference in Durban in July 2016. Precise attendance has still to be finalised.
Asked by: Mike Freer (Conservative - Finchley and Golders Green)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what progress her Department has made in delivering a framework for strengthening health systems overseas; when that work is due to be finalised; and what engagement there has been between her Department and civil society organisations on that matter.
Answered by Grant Shapps
As part of the government response to the 2014 International Development Committee inquiry, DFID is committed to developing a framework for UK support to health systems strengthening in developing countries. DFID is working on the framework, consulting the Department of Health and other UK institutions. DFID is due to update the Committee on progress with a response in November 2015.
Asked by: Mike Freer (Conservative - Finchley and Golders Green)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of her Department's research on development funding for infectious diseases.
Answered by Grant Shapps
DFID has supported some of the best research on infectious diseases. Recent examples include a new diagnostic for sleeping sickness, a new vaccine for rotavirus diarrhoea and a new drug for treating malaria in children. Globally, there is a lack of investment in research and development for infectious diseases. This includes diagnostics, drugs, vaccines, and research to improve the delivery of health services. DFID is the second largest Government funder of product development research.
The new Government made a manifesto commitment to lead a major new programme to develop drugs for the world’s deadliest diseases. DFID is currently working on a strategy to deliver on this commitment.
Asked by: Mike Freer (Conservative - Finchley and Golders Green)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what her Department's priorities are in the development of a new strategy for the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.
Answered by Grant Shapps
The UK was awarded its seat on the Board of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria in March 2015. The UK priority is to ensure that the Global Fund is able to deliver against our shared ambition of ending the three diseases as epidemics.
Asked by: Mike Freer (Conservative - Finchley and Golders Green)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps her Department plans to take to facilitate NHS staff volunteering overseas to assist with the strengthening of health systems in least developed countries.
Answered by Grant Shapps
In 2014 DFID, with the Department of Health and the National Health Service (NHS), produced the Framework for Voluntary Engagement in Global Health to explain to health sector organisations how they can most effectively support volunteers engaged in health work in developing countries. As part of its support for volunteering, DFID is providing £30 million from 2011 to 2017 for the Health Partnerships Scheme which uses the skills of UK health professionals to train, mentor and coach their developing country counterparts in their home countries. DFID also provides support to the non-governmental organisations VSO and UK-Med which facilitate skilled health professionals volunteering overseas.
Asked by: Mike Freer (Conservative - Finchley and Golders Green)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, with reference to the press notice from the Prime Minister's Office dated 7 June 2015, announcing a global programme of drug development and research into infectious diseases, what the contents and timing of that programme will be; and what steps her Department plans to take to ensure the success of that programme.
Answered by Grant Shapps
The Manifesto commitment was made to respond to the urgent need for research to develop new health products for infectious diseases. There is insufficient funding globally available for the development of new drugs and vaccines for neglected diseases and resistance to essential drugs is a growing problem globally. DFID is currently working on a strategy to deliver on this commitment.
The UK Government has a strong track record of supporting successful product development research, through public-private Product Development Partnerships (PDPs). In the last ten years, DFID-supported PDPs have developed 11 new drugs, 2 new vaccines and 6 new diagnostic tests. Success is judged not only by cost-effective development of the products but also by ensuring that they are affordable and made available to the poorest in low and middle income countries.
Asked by: Mike Freer (Conservative - Finchley and Golders Green)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what cross-departmental work her Department is engaged in to increase the retention of trained medical staff from low income countries in those countries' health systems.
Answered by Grant Shapps
DFID funds the Health Partnership Scheme, which uses the skills of UK health professionals to train, mentor, and coach their developing country counterparts in their home countries. Over 25,000 health workers have received training and education through this scheme. As a complementary measure, the UK has also signed the World Health Organisation Global Code of Practice on the International Recruitment of Health Personnel and the Department of Health implements it through the UK Code of Practice for international recruitment. The UK Code specifies a list of developing countries that should not be targeted for international recruitment under any circumstances.
Asked by: Mike Freer (Conservative - Finchley and Golders Green)
Question to the Department for International Development:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, if she will reassess her Department's decision to reduce funding for the development of an AIDS vaccine.
Answered by Grant Shapps
DFID is strongly committed to tackling HIV through the appropriate vehicles but has no plans to reassess funding levels for the development of an AIDS vaccine. In the last 2-3 years there have been some promising and significant scientific advances, but an effective vaccine is still many years away and the science has now moved back to the laboratory. DFID’s comparative advantage does not lie in supporting basic science. The recent award to the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative recognises that other agencies, supporting basic scientific research, are better placed to provide support in this area.